It was night when stars came down the stairs to earth. The Filmfare Awards for South India, held at the Gachibowli Stadium, was a rousing affair as easy camaraderie and stylish content were the leitmotifs of the occasion.

With Hyderabad playing the host to the event, naturally Tollywood dignitaries hogged the limelight. And the biggest cheer of the night was obviously reserved for Chiranjeevi who walked away with the best actor award for his subtle performance in Shankar Dada MBBS.

Chirnajeevi, who received the award from the eternal glamour woman of Indian screen, the ravishing Rekha, almost sounded like a weak-in-the-knees teenaged fan as he spoke about the chiseled figure of the actress. "I would want to know the secret," he said amidst peals of laughter as he made it clear that he was a fan of the actress since his youth.

Chiru also said that this was his 7th Filmfare Award. But the thing is that he, a true and competitive artiste, is not satisfied yet. He is aiming for Kamal's record --- of 14 awards.

Srikanth, who won the best supporting award for the same film, said he owed it Annaiya Chiru as he was one who him for that different role.

Trisha, who won the best actress award for the blockbuster Varsham, was overcome with joy. She dedicated the award to the team and said Hyderabad is her home away from home.

Devi Sri Prasad who walked away with the best music award for Varsham, thanked producer M S Raju for all the right breaks for him.

Sukumar, whose Arya was selected the best Telugu film, dedicated the award to his parents.

Keerthi Reddy won the best supporting actress for her role in Arjun, Sunil the best comedian award for Pedababu and the best villain to Pradeep Rawat (for Sye).

There was a touch of sentimentalism when P Vasu dedicated his award for the best director in Kannada for Apta Mitra to the late Soundarya.

The lifetime achievement award went to K Viswanath and K R Vijaya.

Others who caught the eye on a night of never-ceasing fun was Mammooty (he gave a call for Filmfare National awards), Tamil best actor Surya (it was his birthday), long-haired Madhavan (he won the best supporting actor for Ayutha Ezhuthu), Cheran (his film Autograph had also walked away with honors at the National level) and Tamil comedian Vivek (his humorous take on the Filmfare statuette went down very well with the audience).

Shriya Reddy and Nikhil Chinappa anchored the event competently.

All in all, it was a night to remember.