Superstar Salman Khan and actor Alia Bhatt returned to Mumbai on Sunday after attending a grand award function in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The celebs were seen coming out from a private airport in Mumbai, looking stylish and happy.

Salman and Alia were among the Bollywood stars who graced the Joy Awards 2024, an international event that celebrates the joy of entertainment and honours the entertainment makers from across the world. The event was held at the King Fahd Cultural Centre in Riyadh on Saturday night.

Salman, who received the Personality of the Year award in 2022, added glamour to the event by posing with Hollywood legend Anthony Hopkins on the red carpet. The two actors shared a warm hug and exchanged pleasantries. Salman looked dapper in a black suit and a grey shirt, while Hopkins wore a navy blue suit and a white shirt.

Alia, on the other hand, exuded desi girl vibes as she donned two traditional Indian sarees for the event. For the red carpet, Alia wore a red, blue and golden saree paired elegantly with a tube blouse. She completed her look with loosely tied hair and statement earrings, creating a fusion of contemporary and traditional elements. Alia bagged the Honorary Entertainment Makers Award at the event, for her contribution to Indian cinema and her social initiatives.

During her acceptance speech, Alia expressed her gratitude and love for movies. She said, “It’s truly an extraordinary night. I’m obsessed with movies, it’s all I know. I’ve said this before, I think when I was born, I came out on ‘Lights, camera, action’. That’s how much cinema means to me. One of the things, if we are talking about joy, one of the greatest things in our lives is love. So tonight when I go back home, I take back with me the love of the movies and the love that I felt here in Riyadh. So thank you so much, and here’s to the magic of movies.”

For the main event, Alia changed into a white and silver saree with a halter neck blouse. She accessorized her look with a pearl necklace and a matching clutch. She looked stunning as she posed with Salman, who also changed into a black tuxedo with a bow tie.

The Joy Awards 2024 also saw the presence of other Bollywood celebrities like Varun Dhawan, Kiara Advani, Karan Johar, Ayushmann Khurrana, Vicky Kaushal, Taapsee Pannu, Rajkummar Rao, Bhumi Pednekar and others. The event was hosted by Maniesh Paul and featured performances by Badshah, Neha Kakkar, Guru Randhawa and others.

The Joy Awards 2024 was a historic event as it marked the first time that Bollywood stars were invited to Saudi Arabia for an award function. The event was part of the Joy Forum, an initiative by the Saudi Ministry of Culture to promote the cultural and creative sector in the kingdom. The event also aimed to foster collaboration and exchange of ideas between the entertainment industries of different countries.

Salman and Alia, who are set to share screen space for the first time in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Inshallah, were also spotted together at the airport in Riyadh before boarding their flight to Mumbai. The two actors seemed to share a good rapport and were seen chatting and laughing together.

Salman and Alia’s fans were delighted to see them together and showered them with love and compliments on social media. Some of the comments were:

1. “Salman and Alia look so good together. Can’t wait for Inshallah.”
2. “Alia is such a beauty. She rocked both the sarees. Love her speech too.”
3. “Salman and Anthony Hopkins in one frame. Wow. Legends.”
4. “Alia is the pride of Bollywood. She deserves all the awards and recognition.”
5. “Salman is the king of entertainment. He always makes us proud.”

On the work front, Salman is currently hosting Bigg Boss 17 and is also gearing up for his role as Brigadier Farukh Bulsara in an upcoming film “The Bull”.

Alia, who was last seen in Karan Johar’s Rocky aur Rani Ki Prem Kahaani alongside Ranveer Singh, is now filming for Jigra, scheduled for release on September 27, 2024.