Best Director Award For Barjatya Marks Bollywood’s Presence
Manash Gohain (THE TIMES OF INDIA; August 17, 2024)

New Delhi: Southern cinema grabbed centerstage winning a clutch of major awards in the 70th National Film Awards. The best feature film award went to the Malayalam movie “Aattam: The Play”, while Rishabh Shetty received the best actor award for the Kannada hit “Kantara.” Best actress prize was shared by Nithya Menen for the Tamil film “Thiruchitrambalam” and Manasi Parekh for the Gujarati movie “Kutch Express”.

Sooraj R Barjatya (Hum Aapke Hain Koun) seized the best director award for “Uunchai”, marking Bollywood’s presence among the top categories. Nina Gupta received the best supporting award for the same film while Pavan Malhotra, known for his riveting performances in films such as Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro and Bagh Bahadur, earned the supporting actor award for Haryanvi film, Fouja.

The jury members presented the list of winners for 2022 to Union I&B minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday.

Malayalam cinema led the charge, winning eight awards, including for best child actor, best screenplay, and best editing. Overall, 20 south Indian films bagged awards a cross various categories in the feature film segment. In the feature film category, out of the 24 awards, excluding the sub-category of best feature film in each language, 20 awards were shared by Malayalam, Haryanvi, Kannada, Gujarati, Tamil, and Bengali movies. Only six awards were bagged by three Hindi films, with two being shared with other regional language movies.

“Fouja” won two other awards: best debut film by a director for Pramod Kumar and best lyrics by Naushad Sadar Khan.

The award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment also went to a non-Bollywood film, the Kannada blockbuster “Kantara”, which explores the intricate connection between humanity and nature through its folklore-based storytelling. Rishabh Shetty played the dual roles of a father and son in this film.

The top honour, the best feature film “Aattam: The Play”, directed by Anand Ekarshi, revolves around a theatre troupe and the changing dynamics after its only woman member alleges she has been groped by one of the men.

The best female playback singer award went to Padma Shri awardee “Bombay” Jayashri Ramnath, a champion of Indian Carnatic music, for the track “Chaayum Veyil” from the Malayalam film “Saudi Vellaka CC 225/2009” (Saudi Baby Coconut CC.225/2009), which also won the best Malayalam film award.

A R Rahman won the National Film Award for best music director (background music) for his work in Mani Ratnam's ‘Ponniyin Selvan-Part 1’, which was also named the best Tamil film. Pritam got the award for best music director (songs) for ‘Brahmastra-Part 1’.
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Rishabh Suri, Mugdha Kapoor, Soumya Vajpayee, Yashika Mathur, Akash Bhatnagar (HINDUSTAN TIMES; August 17, 2024)

I was not expecting it: Manoj
It’s Manoj Bajpayee’s fourth National Award and this time it’s a Special Mention for the actor for the film Gulmohar (2023). We break the news to him, and he exclaims, “Wow! Best Hindi film too! I must call my director (Rahul V Chittella) right away. I was not even expecting an honour. He is deserving of it, as he made such a beautiful film.” Bajpayee feels grateful that his work is getting recognised now: “There have been performances and films that went unrecognised.”

I am still processing it: Manas
Manasi Parekh, who bagged the Best Actress award for Kutch Express (2023), says, “I am shooting for my new film, and got a message from (actor-filmmaker) Anand Tiwari: ‘Congratulations on the National Award’. I exclaimed, ‘What!’ I am still processing it, I can’t believe it.” The actor looks at the award as a vindication for her hard work: “I love what I do. What makes this win sweeter is that my husband and I produced Kutch Express. I want to do the best work and make the best of films.”

Kantara is a tribute to our land: Rishab Shetty
Rishab Shetty, who won Best Actor for Kantara (2022), with the film also winning the Best Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment award, tells us exclusively, “The win feels overwhelming. I wanted to bring authenticity and a raw portrayal of our heritage. The film is a tribute to our land and the deep-rooted stories that have been part of our cultural fabric for many years, true to the essence of the Kannada culture. I’m thankful to the Daiva for their divine blessings and dedicate this award to the Daiva Nartakas.”

This feels so special: Pritam
Pritam Chakraborty, who won the Best Music Director award for Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva (2022), says, “This feels so special. I am really grateful to the jury. I want to thank the makers and everyone who was associated with the movie for their support and trust in me. But, most importantly, a big thank you to the audience for their love to our music.”

’This is such an auspicious day’
“I didn’t know that the National Awards were going to be announced today!” says director Chandoo Mondeti, whose film Karthikeya 2 won the National Award in the Best Telugu film category. Mondeti also tells us how he heard of the win after a friend called to congratulate him. “It is such a happy day for us. Karthikeya 2 is a very special film. This is such an auspicious day,” the filmmaker beams, adding that celebrations will follow right away: “It is such great news for me and everyone associated with the film.” This is Mondeti’s first ever National Award.

Like a pat on the back, says Pavan Raj Malhotra
Actor Pavan Raj Malhotra, who won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor in the Haryanvi film Fouja, says, “This is my second award, and it feels really good. I remember the first time around, there used to be a rehearsal before the main ceremony without the President and I was wondering how to greet him. Suddenly, I uttered the words ‘Jai Hind’ and it was perfect. This kind of recognition is what every artiste works for. It’s like a pat on the back and as far as I know, these awards are not manipulated. Fouja is actually close to my heart as it is about the desire to join the army; it is a great honour to be a part of the Indian Army. I don’t know how much of an impact this might have, but I have been working for 40 years now. If you keep working and doing what you like, these awards just make you feel appreciated.”

NATIONAL AWARDS 2024: BRAHMASTRA, GULMOHAR, KANTARA WIN BIG