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"Bollywood Awards" (1999)

Date confirmed in “India-West” (archived) (“May 1 [1999]”)

“India-West” (May 7, 1999) (mirror) (archived mirror)

The Bollywood Awards were as unpredictable, glittering, chaotic, noisy and exhilarating as India's entertainment industry itself, as a crowd of 17,000 filled the Nassau Coliseum May 1 for nearly five hours of music, sizzling dance, bad jokes, and Bollywood star power.

Michael Jackson showed up to collect a humanitarian award, and ShahRukh Khan, Shekhar Kapur, Juhi Chawla, Shilpa Shetty, Anupam Kher, Pakistani chart-toppers Junoon, designers Sandy Dalal and Mary McFadden, Bangla singer Runa Laila, playback singers Udit Narayan and Alka Yagnik, filmmakers Ismail Merchant, Karan Johar, Yash Johar and Yash Chopra, producer Bharat Shah and TV Asia head H.R. Shah, Broadway impresario Andrew Lloyd Webber, music director Lalit (of the Jatin-Lalit duo) and British reggae/bhangra artist Apache Indian were also on hand.

Jackson, dressed in an embroidered black Indian suit designed by Manish Malhotra (Kuch Kuch Hota Hai), accepted a special "Humanitarian Award" from London-based industrialist S.P. Hinduja for his role in promoting the cause of global peace.

"Mahatma Gandhi was always a great inspiration to me and it gives me great joy and pride to be recognized by his people," said Jackson.

..."I have been blessed with so much and had an opportunity to do what few others can," Jackson said in accepting the award. "But I believe it is more than just an opportunity - it is a duty. I feel to reap and enjoy the fruits of my talents for myself would be selfish, irresponsible and unconscionable.

"In these days of such abundance and advancement in what we can do, it pains me to think we do so little for our children. In some ways I feel undeserving to receive an award for something that is my duty. I accept this award as a gesture of the courage of the people of India and as a commission to do more for mankind."

The singer, who organizers said received no remuneration for his appearance, is currently recording a new album, and will ring in the millennium with a performance in Hawaii this New Year's Eve.