Some of the winners of the 66th National Film Awards react to the honour with surprise and joy
As told to Hiren Kotwani, Avinash Lohana, Akash Bhatnagar (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 10, 2019)

Andhadhun BEST HINDI FILM

Sanjay Routray (Matchbox Pictures Pvt. Ltd):
I am delighted that Sriram (director Sriram Raghavan) and Tabu (leading actress) were with me in Melbourne when the awards were announced. The news has yet to sink in.

Ajit Andhare (COO, Viacom18 Motion Pictures):
After Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Mary Kom and Queen, Andhadhun winning Best Film makes me feel deeply honoured and humbled, and also reinforces the belief that we are doing something consistently right with our films. Padmaavat winning also gives me a great sense of fulfillment given the tough journey we had with it. My compliments to Sriram Raghavan, Sanjay Leela Bhansali and the stellar cast of both the films and the teams that made this possible.

Ayushmann Khurrana - BEST ACTOR FOR ANDHADHUN

Today’s honour is the validation of my hard work, belief system, my journey in movies and my reason to be an actor in the first place. Above my personal win, I’m thrilled that both my movies, Badhaai Ho and Andhadhun won. I have been fortunate to be a part of Sriram Raghavan’s (writer-director of AndhaDhun) vision, and he deserves all accolades for creating a new genre of Indian cinema. Sriram sir is the quintessential rule-breaker. There’s no fixed bound script. Everything is there in his head and all you get is a screenplay written in English. A lot of improvisation in terms of lines and scenes happens on the sets. The film challenged me and made me a better actor. I would like to thank Sriram sir for that. I’ll continue on this journey to discover and back cinema that stands apart and brings people back into the theatres.

Sriram Raghavan, Arijit Biswas, Yogesh Chandekar, Hemant Rao and Pooja Ladha Surti - BEST SCREENPLAY (ADAPTED)

Sriram:
I am happy for my entire team, especially for Ayushmann as he was the one who came to me wanting to listen to the script, auditioned and trained extensively for the part. We were watching Bulbul Can Sing at a film fest in Melbourne when I was flooded with a barrage of text messages informing me about the win. I am going straight to the hotel to give Tabu a big hug and will speak to Ayushmann too.



Badhaai Ho - BEST POPULAR FILM PROVIDING WHOLESOME ENTERTAINMENT

Vineet Jain (Producer, Junglee Pictures):
Junglee Pictures has always believed in telling impactful stories in the most engaging manner. This recognition in the form of a National Award is truly gratifying. I am proud of the team for putting together such a delightful yet meaningful film.

Amit Sharma (Producer, Chrome Pictures):
When I heard the news, I had to reconfirm with three-four people who assured me that it was true. This is truly overwhelming. While I was shooting the film, every day was amazing. Success is in no one’s hands, what we can do is work hard and hope for the best. Every day we were thinking about how to make the scenes better.


Surekha Sikri - BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR FEMALE (BADHAAI HO)
To be honest, I never expected this award. The script, written by very young people was amazing. My character was so well etched, that it would be a dream role for any actor. It had memorable dialogue too. My director is really good and happy with my performance.


Vicky Kaushal - BEST ACTOR, URI: THE SURGICAL STRIKE
Words fall short to describe the happiness I’m feeling right now. For my work to be recognised by the honourable National Film Awards jury makes it a truly moving moment for my family and me. I wish to thank each and every member of the jury committee for finding me worthy of the prestigious Best Actor Award for my work. I’m also very happy to be sharing the award with someone whom I admire, both as a person and as an actor. Ayushmann, congratulations, brother! I wish to dedicate this award to my parents, to every member of Team Uri, to our nation and to our armed forces who put their lives on the line each day, come rain or storm.

Aditya Dhar - BEST DIRECTION, URI: THE SURGICAL STRIKE
I am in LA, it’s 4.30 am and it feels amazing. A year ago, nobody knew me, now suddenly people are appreciating my work and I’m getting so much love. If you love cinema, your ultimate dream is to win a National Award. But in the case of Uri, it seemed unachievable as it was my first directorial and most of us were a new bunch of kids. What we had in common was the earnestness. And since it was on the Indian Army and its sacrifices, we had to give our 100 per cent. After the announcement, Vicky and I Face-Timed, with both of us yelling and screaming. It’s beautiful!

Bishwadeep Chatterjee - BEST SOUND DESIGN FOR URI: THE SURGICAL STRIKE AND CHILDREN OF THE SOIL IN NON-FEATURE FILM CATEGORY
The award was not expected but the excitement is double as I’ve won two of them. Aditya Dhar called me to tell me that he was making Uri and said I had to be part of the film. When I read the script, I was excited as I could see the scope and scale for sound designing and gave me a chance to work on the minutest details.

While, with Uri, there were some expectations, the win for Children Of The Soil came as a total surprise. When the directors, Ranadeep Bhattacharyya and Judhajit Bagchi, approached me, they didn’t have a sound design in mind so, it was like composing the soundtrack from scratch. But it’s a very powerful clay animation film and winning this award is like icing on the cake.

Shashwat Sachdev - BEST BACKGROUND MUSIC, URI: THE SURGICAL STRIKE
Being the youngest on set, I was really pampered and Aditya gave me complete freedom. It was such a proud feeling to create music for a film that is for the country, and then getting recognised for it. Aditya called to inform me that I had won, then, I spoke to Vicky and Yami. The whole team is celebrating.


R Balki, PRODUCER-DIRECTOR OF PAD MAN - BEST FILM ON SOCIAL ISSUES
It’s a great feeling that Pad Man has been chosen as the Best Film on Social Issues at the National Film Awards. More important is the issue that it has handled, of menstrual hygiene. I don’t think any mainstream film has spoken about an issue like this anywhere else in the world. Though the film is based on Arunachalam Muruganantham, who made the low-cost sanitary pad making machine, I wanted to make it because I believed in the subject. I was sure it would become a talking point. Now, to be recognised all across India, is great. You have to celebrate that someone recognised your work and be happy about it.

Akshay Kumar - LEADING MAN OF PADMAN
I was in the midst of Mission Mangal promotions when Tina (wife Twinkle Khanna who produced the film with Balki) called me asking if Pad Man had actually won a National Award. All my tiredness vanished on hearing this news. I remember it was on the sets of Pad Man in 2017 when Sonam (Kapoor) and I got the news of our respective National Awards win (He bagged Best Actor for Rustom and Airlift and she got a Special Mention for Neerja). Life has come a full circle and I couldn’t be happier for Tina for winning the award with her debut production, and of course for R Balki for putting it all together and the team behind Pad Man. Not just that, Chumbak, a Marathi film I presented, won Swanand Kirkire the National Award for Best Supporting Actor. Overall, it’s been a rewarding day.


Kruti Mahesh, Jyoti Tomar - BEST CHOREOGRAPHY FOR GHOOMAR, PADMAAVAT

Kruti:
The feeling that I have won has yet to sink in yet. I was in midst of a rehearsal when Sanjay Sir (producer-director Sanjay Leela Bhansali) called to inform me. Working with him is an achievement in itself, he is a genius and Deepika (Padukone, actress) is amazing. It was surreal working with both and I hope the opportunity presents itself again.

(Padmaavat also bagged the award of Best Music Director for Sanjay Leeela Bhansali while Arijit Singh was adjudged Best Male Playback Singer for “Binte Dil” from the film(

Madhu Chopra - BEST FILM ON ENVIRONMENT CONSERVATION, MARATHI FILM PAANI

It’s such a proud moment for us. Priyanka (Chopra, producer) has great creative acumen, Adinath is a talented actor. The team, led by Siddharth Chopra, has made a brilliant film. We are committed to making more films on subjects relevant in today’s scenario and giving opportunities to new talents.

Chalo Jeete Hain - BEST FILM ON FAMILY VALUES, (PRODUCERS AANAND L RAI, BHUSHAN KUMAR, MAHAVEER JAIN)

Mahaveer Jain:
Director Mangesh ji (Hadawale) came to me with an inspiring story of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s childhood which not only defined his persona but also his service to the nation. We thought the film will inspire children. Meeting his family, seeing their simplicity and humility, was an eye-opener.