The 66th National Film Awards ceremony took place yesterday, i.e. 23rd December 2019, in Delhi. The ceremony hosted to honor the best films of 2018 at the Indian Cinema. The awards announced on 9th August 2019 delayed due to the general elections. Ramesh Sippy is the chairperson of the jury that selects the winners. Vivek Agnihotri, along with Uday Singh, is also a part of the Jury Members list.
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu handed over the prestigious 66th edition of National Film Awards to the award winners. Speaking on occasion the VP said that Violence has no place in the democracy and filmmakers must take care of the dialogues, depiction of characters and costumes portrayed in the movie; reflect India’s culture, traditions, practices, and customs. He mentioned that the Indian Cinema should help in strengthening family systems and promoting democratic values amongst the audience.
Actresses Divya Dutta and Sonali Kulkarni hosted the ceremony. Divya was the recipient of the award last year for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the film ‘Irada’. Among the actors that attended the ceremony were Ayushmann Khurrana, Vicky Kaushal, Akshay Kumar, and Keerthy Suresh. The other celebrities were also present at the ceremony that were applauded for their contribution to the Indian Cinema in 2018.
Among the actors who won the prestigious award was Ayushmann Khurrana, who shared his Best Actor award with Vicky Kaushal. The former awarded for his excellent performance in Andhadhun while the latter recognized for his commendable character portrayal of an Army Man in URI: The Surgical Strike.
The two shared a hug and smiles while congratulating each other on the win. Aditya Dhar who directed URI: The Surgical Strike awarded Best Director Award. URI is based on the surgical strike that India had terminated in Pakistan as a retaliation of the attacks in Balakot. Ayushmann’s Andhadhun won Best Screenplay Writer adapted whereas URI also won Best Music Direction (Background Score) and best Audiography (Sound Designer) awards too,
Best Actress award was bagged by the South film industry’s one of the talented actress Keerthy Suresh for her impressive performance in ‘Mahanti’. The Vice President, Venkaiah Naidu, was all in praises for the actress as he handed over the National Award to her. He stated, ‘The maturity she has shown in acting in amazing’. Keerthy looked super happy with her win, and she chooses to wear a simple saree with hair in a bun for the look.
Akshay Kumar’s ‘Padman’ awarded Best Film on Other Social Issues. The 2018- release based on the life of Arunachalam Muruganantham, who is a social activist from Tamil Nadu. The activist is known for introducing low-cost sanitary pads in the villages. The movie also starred Sonam Kapoor Ahuja and Radhika Apte. The dapper actor opted for a classic black suit for the ceremony. This is Akshay Kumar’s second National Award as he had previously won the award for his spectacular performance in ‘Rustom’. Sonam Kapoor Ahuja took her social media to congratulate the entire team of Padman and sent her best wishes to the entire cast.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas’ film ‘Paani’ won the National Award under the category of Best Film on Environment Conservation/Preservation award. The actress’s production house Purple Pebble Pictures produced the movie, and even though she wasn’t physically in the ceremony to receive the award, director Adinath Kothare received the award on behalf of the entire team. PC took her social media account to congratulate the entire team and expressed her happiness to be a part of such a wonderful film. She wrote, “Such an honor to receive the prestigious #NationalFilmAwards for #Paani (Best Film on Environment Conservation/Preservation). I cannot believe I wasn’t there to receive this! Thank u @adinathkothare for making such a wonderful movie for us & receiving the award on our behalf…”
In another tweet, Priyanka congratulated her mother, brother, and the team of her production house Purple Pebble Pictures for putting out such a fantastic movie for the audience. She mentioned that this project was like a passion for each and every one of the members who worked on it and she is really proud that their efforts have been recognized and awarded at a National level. The plot of the film revolves around a man and his village Nagdarwadi, which is a part of drought-affected Maharashtra.
Surekha Sikri, who played the character of ‘Dadi’ in Badhaai Ho awarded the Best Supporting Actress award. The actress met with a standing ovation as she received her National Award. It is not Sikri’s first National Award but the third National Award. She was honored with the award for the first time in 1988 for ‘Tamas’ and in 1995 for ‘Mammo’. The 74-year-old actress opted for a beige saree and shawl for the ceremony and completed her look with silver earrings, kohl-rimmed eyes, and a green bindi. She received her award in a wheelchair. After the ceremony, Surekha’s co-actor, Neena Gupta, congratulated her by tweeting ‘Love you Surekha Ji’ to show her support and love for the actress.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali awarded Best Music Direction for his magnum opus ‘Padmaavat’. The movie starred Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor were well applauded by the audience even though it received a lot of backlash and protests from several fringe groups including the Karni Sena. The film also won the National Award for Best Choreography for Kruti Mahesh Madya and Jyothi D Tommaar, and Best Singer for Arijit Singh.
Megastar Amitabh Bachchan was supposed to receive the Dadasaheb Phalke Award at the ceremony, skipped the event citing ill health. President Ram Nath Kovind will now honor the 77-year-old actor on 29th December at a high tea, to be hosted at Rashtrapati Bhavan for all the winners. The Vice President started the ceremony by stating that the Amitabh Bachchan is an institution in himself and has been a perennial inspiration for the past five decades.
Amit Ravindernath Sharma awarded the National Award for his film ‘Badhai ho’ that won in the Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment category. The film starred Ayushamann Khurrana, Neena Gupta, Gajraj Rao, Surekha Sikri, and Sanya Malhotra. It was widely appreciated for telling a story that breaks the stereotype of middle-aged pregnancy. The Badhai Ho filmmaker said that he had never imagined that the movie would touch so many hearts. He opted for a black kurta and Nehru jacket for the ceremony.
The National awards aim to encourage study and appreciation of cinema as an art form and dissemination of information and critical appreciation of the art form through a State Government Policy.
Congratulations to all the winners!
