Pop singer Shaan and playback duo Udit Narayan and Alka Yagnik brought home a slice of the action from the first ever MTV Asia awards that took place in Singapore this weekend.
Shaan walked away with the best pop artist award while Udit and Alka bagged the honours of being the favourite artistes in the film category. They won the award for the song Jaane Kyon from Dil Chahta Hai. Winners were chosen from a shortlist of five in each category by 13 million votes from across Asia cast by post and over the internet.
Each Asian country had an award but some awards reflected general taste. Britney Spears who recently made her acting debut and Latin sensation Ricky Martin won the favorite female and male artist awards respectively. Westlife won favourite pop act, beating fellow boy groups N'sync and Backstreet Boys. Headbangers voted Bon Jovi the favourite rock act, ahead of legendary Irish group U2 and alternative act Limp Bizkit. Ang Lee's martial arts stunner Crouching Tiger,Hidden Dragon was adjudged favourite film. The competition included the animated hit Shrek and chick flick Charlie's Angels.
Award winning Thailand boy band Pru stressed the need for Asian artists not to copycat the west blindly. Singer Regine Velasquez was voted the Philippines' favourite music artist, while Indonesia picked five-man band PADI as their choice and Malaysia chose singer Siti Nurhaliza. Famous personalities in attendance included Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon actress Zhang Ziyi, fashion designer Donatella Versace who also won an award and Japanese pop superstar Ayumi Hamasaki. Hong Kong martial arts star Jackie Chan (Rush Hour) who won the inspiration award was conspicous by his absence.
Malaysian rap group Too Phat kicked off the festivities with a pre-show performance to entertain the fans waiting for the stars to walk down the red carpet.
Complete list of winners
1.Female Artist: Britney Spears
2. Male Artist: Ricky Martin
3. Rock Act: Bon Jovi
4. Pop Act: Westlife
5. Video: The Call - The Backstreet Boys
6. Breakthrough Artist: Linkin Park
7. Film: Crouching Tiger,Hidden Dragon
8. Fashion Designer: Donatella Versace
Country wise breakup of awards
1. Malaysia: Siti Nurhaliza
2. Thailand: Pru
3. Indonesia: PADI
4. Singapore: Stefanie Sun
5. Philippines: Regine Velasquez
6. Korea: Kang Ta
7. China: Na Ying
8. Taiwan: Zhang Hui Mei
9. Hong Kong: Sammi Cheng
10. India: Favourite Artist Pop- Shaan
11. India: Favourite Artist Film - Jaane Kyon from the movie Dil Chahta Hai
Among the special honours conferred on the occasion were an Inspiration Award for Jackie Chan and the Most Influential Japanese Artist In Asia for Ayumi Hamasaki.
