Co-producer of National Award-winning film Nagar Kirtan drags makers to court over credit row, drama’s Feb 15 release stalled
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; February 12, 2019)

Ahead of its February 15 release, Riddhi Sen starrer Nagar Kirtan — that won four National Awards last year — finds itself in troubled waters.

One of the producers, Joy B Ganguly, has dragged producer Acropolis Entertainment to court, alleging that they dropped his name from the film and promotional material without informing him. Following the hearing on February 11, the Alipore court directed that the film’s release be stalled until the producers come to a consensus.

Ganguly alleges that the producers played mischief when he was hospitalised for over . days in the last week of December. “I came on board as co-producer even before the National Awards were announced. After my medical leave, I was shocked to see my name and my company’s logo removed from the film and promotional materials. I tried to discuss the matter with Sani [Ghose Ray, one of the producers], but my requests fell on dead ears. Hence, I had to take this extreme step of having the release stopped for now. We tried to come to a settlement yesterday, but it fell through.”

Ganguly reiterates that the development came as a shock to him. “There were no creative differences between us. We went together for IFFI as well. Perhaps they felt I was overshadowing them, which is baseless because I have only wished well for the film.”

Sani Ghose Ray of Acropolis Entertainment remained unavailable for comment.

An I&B Ministry official says they have received their award money and will get their medals in due course
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 12, 2018)

Mirror (May 3) was the first to report that a ‘revolt’ was brewing among this year’s National Film Awardees on the eve of the presentation ceremony. Many of the winners were peeved when they learnt during the rehearsals at Vigyan Bhavan, in New Delhi, that in a departure from a 65-year-old tradition, President Ram Nath Kovind would be presenting only 11 awards while former Union Information & Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani and MoS Rajyavardhan Rathore would hand over the rest.

The following day, almost half of the 120-odd awardees chose to skip the ceremony as a mark of protest, among them filmmaker Praveen Morchhale whose Walking with the Wind had bagged the award for Best Film (Ladakhi), Best Sound Design and Best Re-recording. Morchale told Mirror, “We did not ‘boycott’ the ceremony nor did we disrespect anyone — we simply skipped it. We would have been happy if the I&B minister would have presented all the awards instead of a select few being chosen to receive them from the President,”

A month later, Morchhale has yet to receive his medal and citation. “While I have not officially enquired into the matter, I’m in touch with the other awardees who did not attend the ceremony. A few among them did make some calls to the clerical staff and they were unofficially told that the ministry has yet to arrive at a decision on whether the medal and citation should be couriered to us, we should collect it from the regional offices or have a representative pick it up from Delhi. There have been no calls or emails, no official communication of any kind since May 3,” says the aggrieved filmmaker.

Morchale however admits that he has received the prize money which was transferred into his account a day after the ceremony as per procedure. “But it’s sad that I’m still waiting for my medal and citation. Winning a National Award is a huge honour and a proud moment for any artiste. And since the jury has conferred this award on me and my name was announced at the ceremony even if I was not present, there’s no way anyone can cancel it or not give me my token of appreciation. I don’t understand the reason for this delay,” he grouses.

Meanwhile, an official from the I&B Ministry told Mirror, “This is the first time that such a thing has happened at the National Awards. They have already received their award money and will get their citations and medals in due course. These things follow procedure which takes time. The government is not holding back anything, they will get it all shortly.” —With inputs from Sweta Dutta in Delhi

Boney Kapoor (Clockwise from top left) At an earlier event, Sridevi was seen wiping Boney’s forehead; President Ram Nath Kovind, Boney Kapoor, Minister of State, I&B, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Janhvi and Khushi Kapoor; and daughter Janhvi did the same for her papa during the National Film Awards ceremony - Yogen Shah, DNA

DNA (May 6, 2018)

No one is thinking otherwise. However, sometimes one has to reiterate a known fact. The fact is, that it is over two months (February 24) since Sridevi’s demise, but her husband Boney Kapoor is still a shattered man.

A source says, “On a day-to-day basis, Boney is doing a marvellous job of being a good parent to his four children — Arjun, Anshula, Janhvi and Khushi. He has also started getting back to his work. And the family is even getting together for a short break in London in mid-May after Arjun wraps up a schedule for Namaste England. However, Boney is emotionally fragile and breaks down ever so often.’’

While a section of the media reported on how Boney broke down inside the auditorium when Sri’s National Film Award for Best Actress for Zee Studios’ Mom was announced, an eyewitness, who was present at the rehearsals said, “Boney was in a bad state all through his trip to the capital. During the rehearsals for the National Awards, when a cameraman asked Boney to articulate his feelings on Sridevi’s win, Boney had tears streaming down his face.”

The young girls — Janhvi and Khushi — have been a source of strength to their father. They have collectively been holding up, putting up a brave front.

Praveen Morchhale, who boycotted the National Awards ceremony on Thursday despite three wins, opens up about the controversy
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 5, 2018)

When did you learn that the President, Ram Nath Kovind, wouldn’t be presenting all the awards?
On Wednesday, during the rehearsals. After the introductions Chaitanya Prasad, Additional Director, Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF) informed us that in a departure from earlier years, the ceremony had been divided into two segments and since the first would kick off at 3.30 pm, we were expected to be in our seats at the Vigyan Bhawan the following day by 3.20 pm. He added that after the ceremony, we’d get a photo op with the President in two groups of 45 awardees each. The announcement did not raise any objections till we got our cue sheets detailing the flow of the event and realised that the President would be presenting only 11 awards with Smriti Irani (Union Minister, Information & Broadcasting), Rajyavardhan Rathore (Minister of State, I & B) and Narendra Kumar Sinha (Secretary, I & B) giving away the rest.

This demarcation of awards was unacceptable to many because it was never explained on what basis it was done. The 11 awards were a mix of Swarna Kamal (Gold) and Rajat Kamal (silver), acting and technical honours. One gentleman emotionally stated he’d boycott the ceremony, following which we were asked to voice our grievances to the Minister.

What was Smriti Irani’s reaction?
She was very polite. We artistes talk straight but she remained courteous all through, insisting that it was a matter of protocol over which the ministry had no control. We quizzed her on when the Rashtrapati Bhavan had communicated that the President could spare only an hour for the ceremony, given that the invite received on Wednesday clearly stated that he’d be presenting all the awards from 5.30 pm but there was no answer. We gave her some options to avoid the differentiation and she promised to convey them to the Rashtrapati Bhavan. But since it was past 6 pm, she said she may not get a reply that day.

Did anyone from the Rashtrapati Bhavan or the I & B Ministry touch base with you thereafter?
No, we waited till noon on Thursday when an awardee got a news update on his phone stating that the ceremony would start at 3.30 pm with the President coming in only at 5.30 pm. We realised then that things would go as planned and drafted a letter to Prasad, the President and I & B Ministry, informing that if we didn’t receive a response to our grievances, we’d have no option but to skip the ceremony. This was shared with the media at an impromptu press conference. After that there were no media interactions or demonstrations. Our intention was not to disrespect the President or the award. We skipped the ceremony because we were humiliated and hurt as artistes. It could have been conducted in a more dignified manner.

Over 60 people skipped the ceremony. Where were they when it was happening?
One left for the airport post 3 pm, a few went up to their rooms, most were in the hotel lobby, watching the ceremony on TV. This was a once-in-a-lifetime event for us, I don’t know if I’ll win another award again, and to lose out on hard-won recognition was disappointing.

One awardee argued that five years later no one will remember who presented it, all that will matter is that you won the National Award.
I will remember the segregation all my life. If these things are irrelevant, why do we need to attend a ceremony? We can have them courier the citation and medal to us and get a photograph taken at home.


Morchhale’s Walking With The Wind bagged awards for Best Film (Ladakhi), Sound Design and Re-recording

Has the citation reached you?
No, but the prize money is in my account.

You mentioned certain options were suggested to the minister...
I personally told Smriti ji that I’d be happy if she presented all the awards. Someone suggested that if the President was too busy, the Vice President could do the honours or we could all return at a later date to receive our awards from him. We also suggested that the three-hour ceremony be cut down to an hour-and-a-half, with the speeches and Hindi-English introductions trimmed and winners queuing up beforehand to ensure no one was on stage for more than 30 seconds. We presented these options to the jury chairperson Shekhar Kapur, who along with jury members Rahul Rawail and Rumi Jaffery, met us on Thursday morning. He conveyed them to the organisers and returned to say we’d have to accept things the way they stood and individually decide our course of action. He warned against herd mentality and impressed the need to consider the dignity of the award. We reiterated that we were only trying to maintain our own dignity.

Some recipients like K J Yesudas, Nagraj Manjule and Jayaraj attended the ceremony after signing the petition to absent themselves.
That was their decision and we respect it. Personally, I was hurt by the demarcation so stayed away. It’s like taking your parents to school for an award ceremony and when your time comes, the principal takes off, handing the responsibility to a teacher. It was the same feeling of humiliation.

Who accompanied you to Delhi?
My wife and she supports my decision. If I compromise today, how will I impress on my kids to stand by their principles tomorrow. Several other spouses and even the parents of some first-time winners were proud of the stand they took. We are artistes, we make films to vent our anger and disappointment over certain issues. If we compromise on this issue, we might do so with our films too.

Any grouses against the jury?
None. I’m told they saw over 300 films and many of the winners were small indie regional films like mine. Walking With The Wind (pictured below) is a Ladakhi film shot in a small village in the mountains with local artistes playing out real life roles, made on a shoe-string budget in 17 days. Yet, it bagged the award for Best Sound Design and Re-Recording over films with multi-crore budgets. I knew we’d made a good film which had been screened in competition at many major festivals abroad, but I didn’t think it stood a chance at the National Awards. I salute the jury on their choices.

Will your decision to skip the ceremony impact your future?
I can lose everything but I’ll always stand by what I believe in. It’s not ego or arrogance but conviction. I made my first film with my own money, was fortunate to get backers for the next two. If I had to think of the future I’d not be making films.

How did someone from Madhya Pradesh living in Mumbai decide to make a Ladakhi film?
For me it’s an Indian film which demanded to be shot in the mountains. I found a village on a reccee in Ladakh in December 2015. It was at 13,000 feet, with minimal electricity, a makeshift hospital and only a weekly bus service but its 30-40 inhabitants are the happiest I’ve seen. We stayed in tents for 22 days, braving showers and shortage of oxygen. Phunchok Toldan, the local who played the father in the film, watched the ceremony on TV and stood by my decision. I’ll write to the Leh Council to organise a small felicitation for the film’s cast.

Over 60 winners, who alleged “discrimination”, refused to accept their awards from Smriti Irani, after last-minute change in schedule that saw the Prez hand out only 11 awards
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 4, 2018)

The National Film Awards ceremony, which took place on Thursday at the Vigyan Bhavan in Delhi was a forlorn affair, with about half of the 120-odd awardees choosing to skip the event. Over 60 seats were empty, and the nameplates of those who boycotted the event were kept face down.

Their boycott – on the discontent among the awardees – was a reaction to the breach of a 65-year-old tradition of the awards being handed over by the President.

On Thursday, however, President Ram Nath Kovind presented only 11 awards, while Information & Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani, and her minister of state Rajyavardhan Rathore gave away the rest.

Filmmaker Praveen Morchhale, who was among those who skipped the ceremony, told Mirror that several awardees, were hurt because of “the discrimination that was without any basis”.

“We did not ‘boycott’ the ceremony nor did we disrespect anyone — we simply skipped it. We would have been happy if the I & B minister would have presented all the awards instead of a select few being chosen to receive them from the President,” said Morchhale, whose Walking With The Wind bagged the award for Best Film (Ladakhi), Best Sound Design and Best Re-recording. Late actors Sridevi, and Vinod Khanna, who was also a BJP MP, were among those felicitated posthumously by the President. Boney Kapoor, Sridevi’s husband, and Kavita Khanna and Akshaye Khanna, wife and son of Vinod Khanna, received the awards.

“We are left with no choice but to express our disappointment and convey to you that at the end of the day we feel dejected rather than honoured for our work. It feels like a breach of trust when an institution/ceremony that abides by extreme protocol fails to inform us of such a vital aspect of the ceremony with prior notice. It seems unfortunate that 65 years of tradition is being overturned in a jiffy,” stated a letter signed by the protesting recipients, which was issued by them at an impromptu press conference ahead of the ceremony and which was addressed to Chaitanya Prasad, additional director general, Directorate of Film Festivals, and marked to both the President and the I & B Ministry.

Pointing out that the National Awards are different from other awards and urging the government “to maintain the dignity and eminence of the event” without a “display of hierarchy”, the letter also said, “in the circumstance of not receiving a response to our grievance we are left with no option but to be absent from the ceremony. We do not intend to boycott the award but are not attending the ceremony to convey our discontent and are awaiting a more just solution”.

The petition calling for skipping the ceremony was signed by over 60 winners, including Nagraj Manjule (Best Direction, Pavasacha Nibandha, Marathi); K J Yesudas (Best Male Payback Singer for the song “Poi Maranja Kalam” from the Malayalam film Vaswasapoorvam Mansoor); and Jayaraj (Best Director for the Malayalam film Bhayanakam). However, all three accepted their awards on Thursday evening from the President who was flanked by Irani and Rathore.

The awardees learnt of the change in the schedule and felicitators on Wednesday afternoon during rehearsals for the event, and conveyed their grievance to Irani who, said a source, assured them that she would convey them to Rashtrapati Bhavan and would get back once she heard from the President’s office. Later in the evening, the source said that all the awardees were verbally asked to be present at Vigyan Bhavan by 3:15 pm on Thursday. The source added that the final decision to skip the ceremony was taken after there was no official word from the I & B minister.

The President’s press secretary Ashok Malik said in a statement: “The President attends all award functions and convocations for a maximum of one hour. This has been the protocol since he took office (August 2017). It was conveyed to Information and Broadcasting Ministry several weeks ago and the ministry knew this all along. Rashtrapati Bhavan is surprised by the 11th hour questions that have been raised.”

Meanwhile, several of the winners, who refused to accept their awards from Irani, watched the telecast of the ceremony in the lobby of Hotel Ashok where they were put up. “What should have been one of the happiest days of our lives is a sad one for many of us,” one of them told Mirror.

—Inputs from Lakshmi Iyer

Winners peeved at news about President handing over only 11 awards; Smriti Irani and Rajyavardhan Rathore to hand over the rest
Roshmila Bhattacharya and Laskhmi Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 3, 2018)

The presentation of the National Film Awards today might well be a genteel affair, but the well-choreographed sequence and flow of the ceremony conceals a near revolt that took place on Wednesday during rehearsals for the event at Vigyan Bhavan, in New Delhi.

The awardees, who had congregated in the capital late in the afternoon on Wednesday, were in for a rude shock when they discovered that only 11 awards would be presented by President Ram Nath Kovind.

The rest of the awards, they learnt from a docket issued to them, would be handed over by Union Information & Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Minister of State, Information & Broadcasting, and Narendra Kumar Sinha, Secretary, Information & Broadcasting.

According to the docket, Kovind would arrive at the venue at 5:30 pm, after Irani, Rathore and Sinha had presented the bulk of the awards between 3:30 pm and 5:30 pm. It was further conveyed that post the ceremony, the winners would get the customary photo-op with the President in groups of 45.

According to a source, many peeved winners threatened to boycott the ceremony, following which the director of the Directorate of Film Festivals, which organises the awards, asked them to air their grievances directly with Irani. Since the inception of the awards in 1954, winners have been felicitated by the President and departure from the 64-year tradition led to flared tempers. “The last minute change in schedule was an insult which every winner unanimously opposed. Everyone’s upset and the mood is gloomy,” said the source.

When the awardees met up with Irani, the source said that the I&B minister reasoned with them saying that the President had allotted only an hour for the ceremony, and that the organisers had to dial in ministers to hand over some of the other awards. “The awardees told her that the time allotted for speeches and photo-ops could be cut down, so that all the winners could be felicitated by the President himself,” said the source.

The other option they gave to the minister was that she could present all the awards herself. “They were against differentiation of winners, and demarcation of awards was not acceptable to anybody and the threat of boycott was repeated,” added the source.

When Mirror reached out to the I&B Ministry, an official confirmed that Irani would be presenting most of the awards and reiterated that the President had allotted only an hour for the ceremony.

“Handing out over 75 awards in various categories followed by photographs with every winner is time-consuming,” said the I&B ministry official. A Rashtrapati Bhawan source told Mirror that this year the “President and Prime Minister have very hectic schedules.”

The awardees’ meeting with Irani ended with the minister telling them that she had contacted the President’s office and would get back to them as soon as she heard back from Rashtrapati Bhavan. The awardees had not heard back from the I&B minister at the time of this newspaper going to press. “It has been verbally conveyed to them that they should be present at the Vigyan Bhavan by 3:15pm. It looks as if the awards will be held as per their wishes — Irani will give out the awards until 5:30 pm, following which the President will arrive,” the source added.

THE 11 AWARDS TO BE PRESENTED BY THE PRESIDENT

♦ Dadasaheb Phalke Award: Vinod Khanna
♦ Best Actress: Sridevi, Mom
♦ Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration: Dhappa (Marathi)
♦ Best Book on Cinema: Matamgi Manipur – The First Manipuri Feature Film (English)
♦ Best Direction: Nagraj Manjule, Pavasacha Nibandha
♦ Best Jasari film: Sinjar
♦ Best Male Playback Singer: KJ Yesudas, “Poy Maranja Kalam” Viswasapoorvam Mansoor (Malayalam)
♦ Best Music Direction (Songs): AR Rahman, Kaatru Veliyidai (Tamil) + Best Music Direction (Background score): Mom
♦ Best Actor: Riddhi Sen, Nagarkirtan (Bengali)
♦ Best Direction: Jayaraj, Bhayanakam (Malayalam)
♦ Best Feature Film: Village Rockstars (Assamese) + Best Editing: Village Rockstars

Best Actor Riddhi Sen plays a significant role in Pradeep Sarkar’s next in which the actress plays a single mom and an aspiring singer
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 19, 2018)

Son of Bengali actors Kaushik and Reshmi Sen, 19-year-old Riddhi, who won the National Award for Best Actor for Kaushik Ganguly’s Nagarkirtan, will be seen as Kajol’s son in Pradeep Sarkar’s Eela. “It is a beautiful story of an aspiring singer who is also a single mother. The mother and son share a wonderful chemistry in the film,” says Riddhi, who was in Mumbai for the shoot of the Ajay Devgn and Jayantilal Gada production, written by Mitesh Shah and Anand Gandhi.

While they were shooting an ad in Kolkata in 2016, Sarkar decided that Riddhi would play this role and called him with the offer last June, with strict instructions to not speak about it to the media. “I thought he’d take my audition but one fine day, dada called me to Mumbai and directly started discussing the script with Kajol ma’am and me,” Riddhi reminisces, adding that when he got the news of him winning the prestigious award, urged on by his mother who saw the news on a channel, Sarkar was the first person he called. “Dada was really happy and Kajol ma’am even arranged for a cake for me on the set to celebrate my National Award win.”

Riddhi is a self-confessed fan of his screen mother and loved her in the 1997 suspense thriller, Gupt. He raves about her humour and energy which boosts everyone up on the sets no matter how tired they are.

Kajol’s equally impressed with her young co-star who she describes as a bright, hardworking, well brought up and talented boy. “He doesn’t need any acting tips and has a tremendous future ahead of him as the National Award has proved already,” she says, having seen him also in Ajay’s 2016 production, Parched.

Riddhi, who is flying back home today during a break in shooting to spend some time with his parents, friends and his girlfriend, admits that his big win last week left him speechless for around 10 minutes before he went off to shoot. “That’s the best way to celebrate, doing what I love the most,” he says.

Lasyapriya Sundaram (BOMBAY TIMES; April 15, 2018)

A R Rahman is a man of few words. That’s because he lets his music do all the talking. After winning the National Award in the the Best Music Direction and the Best Background Score categories for Kaatru Veliyidai and Mom respectively, the music maestro, in an exclusive conversation with BT, spoke about why winning the National Award is still special though he has seduced music lovers across the world with his compositions. Excerpts...

This is your first National Film Award in the Best Background Score category and the fifth for Best Music Direction. What are your first thoughts on winning not one, but two awards?
I am really happy. I want to thank Mani Ratnam ji (director of Kaatru Veliyidai) and the team of Mom — Srideviji, Boney Kapoorji (producer) and Ravi Udyawar (director).

You have scored the background music for Mom. How do you go about composing it, vis-a-vis creating the soundtrack of a film? Give us an insight into your process...
A film like Mom needed to be driven by music. Ravi and I had collaborated on a commercial long time ago and that too, had won a lot of awards. He knew exactly what he wanted for Mom, but left it to me for my interpretation. I got the the idea to compose a song like Muafi Mushkil after I saw the film. In some films, background music is like wallpaper and in others, it is a character. It needs to say things, which the film is not saying or wants to say. I have worked with Boney ji and we wanted to collaborate again. In fact, Sridevi ji flew down from Mumbai to Chennai and told me that I have to do Mom’s BGM. She also said, ‘I want to work with you’. It seems prophetic now. The BGM of Mom is also my wife’s favourite. When I was in Hollywood last month, she asked my agent there to listen to it. I was surprised, because she is not somebody who says or does anything like this. She screamed with joy when she heard that I had won the award for Mom.

Having won innumerable awards and accolades over the years, does the National Award still hold a special place in your heart?
The National Award is definitely special because it is awarded by our Government. The jury is credible and they select films, which have been sidelined by other awards. In a way, it feels good that the National Awards jury has recognized the hard work that went into Mom. It requires more exposure for the vision it comes with.

You have won the National Award for Best Music Direction for Roja (1992), Minsara Kanavu (1997), Lagaan(2001) and Kannathil Muthamittal (2002). What are your memories of composing for Kaatru Veliyidai for which you have won your fifth National Award?
Whenever I work with Mani ji, I feel grateful to him for introducing me to cinema. But, it also means that I am shouldering a huge responsibility. I give it a lot of energy. Mani ji is open to unconventional ideas and has an open mind. Not everyone is like that. People want tried and tested things, but he encourages something unique. He also has an amazing sensibility as far as music for movies is concerned. He is a reservoir of ideas. You can throw any wild one at him and he will make it organic and usable. He is a great teammate and mentor for me. In his next, Chekka Chivantha Vaanam (Tamil), he has yet again surprised us, and we have just finished composing the fifth song for the film.

Your fans and bloggers feel that Kaatru Veliyidai is the quintessential ARR OST. It boasts of varied genres like Acapella, Rap, Folk, Tango and also ambient melody. Do you agree?
I don’t see it like that (laughs). It’s not intended in that manner, but if it happens, that’s good. The film required that kind of a soundscape. The story revolved around an Indian Air Force officer and I have not done such a film before. I have seen a bit of that life when I was perhaps 12 or 13; I would visit the army quarters and play music, as I was part of a show called Wonder Balloon on Doordarshan. So, it was nice to revisit my childhood. They are special people, because they fight for our country.

This film marked your 15th collaboration with Mani Ratnam. Do you reserve your best for him?
That would be belittling everybody else. I did Rockstar (2011) with Imtiaz Ali. I have had big hits with directors Shankar and Rajiv Menon as well. Each director gets something new out of me. It depends on what tunes of mine they accept. Having said that, there is no sense of insecurity when I work with Mani ji. He doesn’t judge or gauge a person based on his success or failure. Others might not want to associate with you if three of your films flop, but he is not like that. He judges people on the basis of the importance they give to the art. That’s what I have learnt from him.

What’s next, especially in Hindi films?
I have been working on the soundtrack of 99 Songs for almost four-five years. The final cut is almost ready and it will have close to 14-15 tracks. We have collaborated with international artistes as well for the soundtrack. There is also Le Musk. Both these films are making good progress.

You also have Shankar's 2.0 starring Rajinikanth in your kitty. What can your fans look forward to in that film as far as your score is concerned?
BGM plays a huge role in that film, every reel is packed with music. It will be a one-of-a-kind experience. We are trying to do some unique and new things with regard to the 3D visuals being combined with sound.

The 65th National Film Awards strike a bittersweet chord for Hindi cinema with posthumous honours for Sridevi, Vinod Khanna, and all-inclusive applause for fi lms like Baahubali and Newton
Sanyukta Iyer and Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 14, 2018)

SRIDEVI: National Award for Best Actress

Boney Kapoor: Don’t know if we should laugh with joy or cry in her memory

I miss her so much. I wish she was here, this honour would have meant a lot to her. We don’t know if we should laugh with joy or cry in her memory. She would’ve been so happy today because even though she put a lot of effort into all her characters, Mom was a very special film for her.

The subject had moved the mother in her. She cared for daughters around the world who needed a voice and understood the story best because our daughters, Janhvi and Khushi, were her life. For everyone, Mom is a film but for me it was the last journey of creative and emotional expression with the love of my life. If Sridevi was here, she would thank everyone in her own way, quietly.

She was not only a super actress, but a super wife and a super mom. She is not with us today but her legacy lives on.

A R RAHMAN: Best Background Score: Mom, Best Music: Kaatru Velayide

‘This is my third film with Mani sir to win a National Award’

I’m extremely happy to receive both the awards. Mani sir’s (Ratnam, who directed Kaatru) films are always special. This is our third film to win a National Award.

Mom holds a special memory for me because of Sridevi ji. When Boney ji had approached me for the film, it was she who flew down to Chennai, met me and insisted I score the music. It’s sad that she is no longer with us. All credit to my team for the hard work they put in.


VINOD KHANNA: Dadasaheb Phalke Award

Kavita Khanna: How do we celebrate his award without him?

As a family, we are grateful to the Government and the Prime Minister Narendra Modi for recognising Vinod’s achievements with the highest award for cinema. But it’s also a time when we miss him the most — how do we celebrate his award without him?

I liked every film he featured in. I was always fascinated by his nuanced performances — he would just drop starry gestures to become the character. I was speaking to filmmaker Vikas Desai recently, who made the exceptional thriller, Shaque, with Vinod and Shabana (Azmi). Throughout his career, when he could have picked commercial films, Vinod chose out-of-the-box roles. Shaque was not a formula film, and he chose to do it at the peak of his career.

At 51, he entered the Lok Sabha when he could have been doing film after film. He wanted to give back to society all the love he had received for his films. Working in the border-town constituency of Punjab’s Gurdaspur, which grappled with unemployment, underdevelopment, instability and even narco terror, he strived for over a decade to give back in the best way he could.

He never coveted awards and didn’t need a reason to be happy. But he would have been delighted to know that his life’s work has been recognized. Our children, Sakshi and Shraddha, have a lot to achieve in life and I am hoping they will do everyone proud, just like their father did.


NEWTON: Best Hindi Film

Amit Masurkar: Hope this award creates a bigger space for political films

I hope this award and Newton’s commercial success creates a bigger space for political cinema. This wouldn’t have been possible without an incredible cast and crew, and the love and support from the locals of Chhattisgarh during the shoot. Pankaj (Tripathi) effortlessly portrayed a character as complex as Atma Singh. It was pure joy working with him. He’s full of empathy and love for everyone around.

PANKAJ TRIPATHI: Special Mention: Newton

‘Last year was great for me’

I cried when I received the news. I have been shooting outdoors and I didn’t have my phone with me, my co-star Saurabh Shukla informed me. I wanted to tell my parents and my wife, but I had no idea if it was true. I didn’t even know I was in contention. It’s exhilarating and humbling because I have been acting for the last 20 years.

Last year was great for me. As a boy from a village in Bihar, I had big dreams and it feels like they have been fulfilled today. I only hope to work harder and more sincerely from now on…


BAAHUBALI: THE CONCLUSION: Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, Action Direction, Special Effects

Director S S Rajamouli

Congratulations to our entire team for being awarded the Best Popular Wholesome Entertainment Film. Thanks to the committee for recognising our team’s work in Action and Visual Effects categories as well.

Writer K Vijayendra Prasad

I am extremely happy and excited. Someone mentioned our win in the afternoon and that’s how I got to know. I’m not the celebrating type so I don’t know what the plan is. I haven’t spoken to the Baahubali team yet, but I’m sure everyone is happy.

DIVYA DUTTA: Best Supporting Actress: Irada

‘Irada was the first film I signed after my mother passed away’

I was packing my bags for an outdoor schedule of Anubhav Sinha’s Abhi Toh Party Shuru Hui Hai when I got the news. This is my first National Award. For any actor, this is the biggest honour and I’m glad I got it for a film like Irada, which was the first film I had signed after my mother passed away. I channeled my energies on this film and it was an emotional ride. Irada is a relevant topic as it tackles the issue of pollution. I played a corrupt politician and had referenced memories from my time in Punjab as a child. (Irada has also won Best Film on Environment Conservation/Preservation).


GANESH ACHARYA: Best Choreography: ‘Gori Tu Latth Maar’ (Toilet - Ek Prem Katha)

‘Nobody has choreographed such a song before’

I was moving houses when I got the news. It’s all thanks to Akshay Kumar, Bhumi Pednekar, Shree Narayan Singh (director) and Neeraj Pandey (co-producer). For Indians, the National Award is like the Oscar. Nobody has choreographed such a song before. We shot it with local dancers and our team. I will throw a party at my new residence soon.

Niharika Lal and Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; April 14, 2018)

While addressing the press conference for the 65th National Film Awards, jury head Shekhar Kapur said that after films continuously watching for 10 days, his opinion about the quality of Indian cinema has changed. Shekhar said that even though regional cinema doesn’t have “a Shah Rukh Khan”, Hindi cinema doesn’t come close to it.

He said, “Maine Hindustan mein last film banayi thi Bandit Queen, usske baad maine yahan koi film isiliye nahi banayi because I wanted to make better films. For years, I have been watching Hindi films and I’ve been saying, ‘it’s not good enough’. Main kyun wapas aaya? Kyunki aage badhna chahiye, naye challenges lene chahiye. After 10 days of watching films from 9am to 3am, it has changed everything. I was wondering about the quality of films — not of Hindi cinema, but regional cinema, the cinema that has never come up before. I didn’t even know Lakshadweep mein filmein banti hain. Main nahi janta tha ki Assam mein aisi films banti hain. Mujhe nahi maloom tha ki Bengali films itni aage badh chuki hain.”

About the selection process for this year’s winners, Shekhar said, “There was no award which was not debated. Bahut aasaan hai award dena — chalo kisi ko bhi de do. Mujhe 12 saal lage thay Masoom banane mein, idhar se bheekh maang kar, udhar se bheekh maang kar. Regional cinema ke paas Shah Rukh Khan toh hai nahi! Ghar se chori karte hain, ghar se bhaag kar film institute chale jate hain aur phir jod-jod kar film banate hain. We took no film lightly.”

He also explained the choice for this year’s Best Actress award, which was posthumously given to Sridevi, saying, “Don’t think we are giving the award to Sridevi because I am part of the jury”. Shekhar added, “Main hi tha jo ladta tha ki Sridevi ko mat do. Because we are all emotionally involved with Sridevi. But I used to say, don’t give her the award because she passed away, because otherwise it is unfair to the others. Unki kya galti hai, they have also worked hard for 9-10 years to reach here. But each time, it came back to Sridevi.”
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This was long overdue for Sri. I wish she was here to hear the news and collect the award herself. It pains me to think that I will have to collect it on her behalf. Wherever she is today, she must be smiling.I miss my jaan every day and today, I’m missing her even more. Sri had worked so hard for Mom. She put life into every scene. She stayed away from me while shooting to avoid distraction; she wanted to concentrate on portraying the emotions correctly. I thank God and the jury for acknowledging her hard work

– Boney Kapoor, Sridevi’s husband and producer of Mom
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This is my first National Award.This award is very special for me because I lost my mother while working on Irada. My mother and other well-wishers have always said that I deserve a National Award. So, their reactions to my win are making me feel euphoric. I am totally overwhelmed. This is the ultimate award.

– Divya Dutta, Best Supporting Actress, Irada

The 65th National Film Awards:

1.BEST DIRECTOR: Jayaraj (Bhayanakam)

2. BEST BOOK ON CINEMA: Matmagi Manipur. (This is the first time that a book on Manipuri films has got an award)

3. BEST FILM CRITIC: Giridhar Jha

4. SPECIAL MENTION: Marathi Film: Mhorkya; Odia film: Hello Arsi; Malayalam: Take Off; Pankaj Tripathi for Newton

5. BEST REGIONAL FILM: Ladhakh

6. BEST MARATHI FILM: Kaccha Limbu

7. BEST MALAYAM FILM: Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum

8. BEST HINDI FILM: Newton

9. BEST BENGALI FILM: Mayurakshi

10. BEST ASSAMESE FILM: Ishu

11. BEST TAMIL FILM: To Let

12. BEST TELUGU FILM: Ghazi

13. BEST GUJARATI FILM: DHH

14. BEST ACTION DIRECTION: Baahubali 2

15. BEST CHOREOGRAPHY: Gori Tu Latth Maar from Toilet - Ek Prem Katha (choreographer, Ganesh Acharya)

16. BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS: Baahubali 2

17. SPECIAL JURY AWARD: Nagarkirtan (Bengali)

18. BEST LYRICS FOR SONG: Muthu Ratna, for Kannada film March 22

19. BEST MUSIC DIRECTION: A R Rahman for Kaatru Veliyidai

20. BACKGROUND SCORE: A R Rahman for Mom

21. BEST MAKE-UP ARTISTE: Ram Razak for Nagarkirtan

22. BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN: Santosh Rajan

23. BEST EDITING: Rima Das (Village Rockstars)

24. BEST SCREENPLAY ORIGINAL: Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum

25. BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Jayaraj

26. BEST FEMALE PLAYBACK SINGER: Shasha Tirupati ( Vaan Varuvaan song)

27. BEST MALE PLAYBACK SINGER: Yesudas

28. BEST CHILD ARTIST: Bhanita Das (Village Rockstars)

29. BEST FILM ON SOCIAL ISSUES: Aalorukkam

30. NARGIS DUTT AWARD FOR BEST FEATURE FILM ON NATIONAL INTEGRATION: Dhappa