Sydney, It came as no surprise when Shimit Amin’s “Chak De! India”, a gritty tale of Indian women hockey players that also starred 90 Australian players and over 9,000 Australian extras, won the Best Film Award at the 5th Australian Indian Film Festival gala night here Thursday.

Indian heartthrob Akshaye Khanna received the Best Performance Award for his role in “Gandhi My Father” at the glittering ceremony hosted for the first time at the Museum of Contemporary Arts, situated on the Harbour foreshore overlooking the iconic Opera House.