Other Bollywood megastars also attended the event on Saturday, including Rani Mukerji, Anil Kapoor and Bobby Deol.
Mukerji won the best actress award for the child-custody drama Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway while Vidhu Vinod Chopra won best director for 12th Fail.
Meanwhile, Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Animal scooped up six awards including best picture, and best supporting actor for Anil Kapoor.
Bollywood, India’s dominant film business, produces hundreds of films every year and has a huge following among Indians globally.
But like others across the world, it has seen ups and downs since the coronavirus pandemic shuttered cinemas for months and led many to turn to streaming services. It is yet to return to its former glory.
This year has been particular difficult, thanks to a lacklustre pipeline of new releases.
In comparison, 2023 was a stellar year, helped in part by the return of “King Khan”.
It is the third time Abu Dhabi has hosted the event, which is running over three days this year.
Karan Johar co-hosted the ceremony alongside Khan. The renowned filmmaker also scooped up a special award marking his 25 years in cinema.
