MUMBAI: The votes for the 14th International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards are in, after the IIFA voting weekend ended in March.

The nominations reflect the diverse and thriving landscape of the Indian Film Industry today, showcasing 2012 as an eventful year for Bollywood with more than 155 new releases receiving global acclaim.

Taking the lead with an impressive total of 13 nominations is Anurag Basu’s Barfi, followed by Shoojit Sircar’s comedy Vicky Donor that has garnered nine nominations. Following closely is Gangs of Wasseypur 1 and Dharma Productions‘ remake of Agneepath. Films like Cocktail, Kahaani, Paan Singh Tomar and the Yash Chopra‘s last film as a director Jab Tak Hai Jaan have also secured themselves a place in the 14th IIFA nominations.

This year’s award will have directors, Anurag Basu (Barfi), Anurag Kashyap (Gangs of Wasseypur-1), Sujoy Ghosh (Kahaani), Tigmanshu Dhulia (Paan Singh Tomar) and Shoojit Sircar (Vicky Donor) compete for the accolade of being the best director.

Hrithik Roshan (Agneepath), Ranbir Kapoor (Barfi!), Manoj Bajpayee (Gangs of Wasseypur-1), Shahrukh Khan (Jab Tak Hai Jaan), Irrfan Khan (Paan Singh Tomar) and Ayushmaan Khurrana (Vicky Donor) are all contenders for the prized IIFA Award for Best Performance in a Leading Role (Male) while among leading ladies Priyanka Chopra (Barfi!), Deepika Padukone (Cocktail), Sridevi (English Vinglish), Huma Qureshi (Gangs of Wasseypur-1), Kareena Kapoor (Heroine) and Vidya Balan (Kahaani) will battle it out for the Best Performance in a Leading Role (Female).

Pritam has got two nominations in the category of Best Music Direction for his scores in the films Barfi! and Cocktail. Other nominees in the category include A.R. Rahman (Jab Tak Hai Jaan), Ajay-Atul (Agneepath) and Sneha Khanwalkar (Gangs of Wasseypur-1).

Mika Singh for ‘Pungi’ (Agent Vinod), Sonu Nigam for ‘Abhi Mujh Mein Kahin’ (Agneepath), Ajay Gogavale for ‘Deva Shree Ganesha’ (Agneepath), Mohit Chauhan for ‘Main Kya Karoon’ and ‘Aashiyan’ (Barfi!) and Ayushmann Khurrana for ‘Paani Da Rang’ (Vicky Donor) are in contention for the Best Playback Singer Male award.

In the female category, those battling for the Best Playback Singer Female are Shreya Ghoshal for the songs ‘Chikni Chameli’ (Agneepath) and ‘Ashiyan’ (Barfi!) along with Rekha Bhardwaj for ‘Phir Le Aya Dil’ (Barfi!), Kavita Seth for ‘Tumhi Ho Bandhu’ (Cocktail) and Shalmali Kholgade for ‘Pareshan’ (Ishqzaade).

Wizcraft International Entertainment and IIFA director Sabbas Joseph said, “It’s been a phenomenal year for the Indian Film Industry and the nominations for this year will definitely reflect this. The growth has been remarkable. 2013 will witness the 14th year of the IIFA celebrations, honouring the best of the year gone by.”