National Awards: Malayalam film, Dabaang win honours
Adaminte Makan Abu, made in Malayalam by Salim Ahamed, won the Best Film Award (Swarna Kamal) while Salman Khan’s blockbuster Dabaang bagged the honours as a wholesome entertainment in the National Film Awards categories declared on Thursday.
While Dabaang clinched the award for answering “the need of cinegoers for entertainment rooted in Indian soil”, Adaminte Makan Abu won for “a simple yet evocative articulation of humanist values that frees matters of faith from the constrictions of narrow parochialism.”
The Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration (Rajat Kamal) went to Bengali film Moner Manush directed by Gautam Ghose. It was awarded for “celebrating the union of the human spirit through the life and song of Sufi poets in the Baul tradition.”
The Best actress award has been shared between Mitalee Jagtap Varadkar for Babnu Band Bajaa (Marathi) and Saranya Ponvannan for Thenmerkku Paruvakkatru (Tamil).
Tamil actor Dhanush bagged the best actor award for Aadukalam (Tamil) while it was also shared by Salim Kumar for Adamante Makan Abu (Malayalam).
Aadukalam (Tamil) fetched the best director award for Vetrimaran for its “gritty tale of love, jealousy and betrayal in the midst of bloodsport and violence, in the manner of realistic cinema.”
Best Supporting Actor went to J. Thambi Ramaiah for Mynaa (Tamil) for a heart-warming performance as a policeman who discovers his humanity in the process of capturing an escaped fugitive.
The Best Supporting Actress is Sukumari for Namma Gramam (Tamil) for her sensitive portrayal of an aged widow who challenges orthodoxy when restrictions are placed upon her widowed granddaughter.
In the Best Male Playback Singer category, Suresh Wadkar bagged the award for Mee Sindhutai Sapkal (Marathi) for “rendering soulful lyrics in a resonant voice soaked in emotion with a purity of musical expression and spiritual empathy.”
Ishqiya (Hindi) brought the Best Female Playback Award for Rekha Bhardwaj, wife of filmmaker and songwriter Vishal Bharadwaj. She was chosen for “a sensual and evocative rendering of a heart longing for the beloved.”
Do Dooni Char directed by Habib Faisal and starring the Bollywood couple Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh got the Best Hindi Film award for “an entertaining narrative that brings to the fore the struggle of a school teacher who is torn between maintaining his integrity and the lure of a little more comfort.”
Rituparno Ghosh starrer Memories in March (directed by Sanjoy Nag) is the Best English Film for “the effective exploration of a bereaved mother?s coming to terms with the fact of her son?s sexual identity.”
Best Bengali Film is Ami Aadu directed by Sonmath Gupta while Best Assamese film is Jetuka Patar Dare directed by Jadumoni Dutta.
Best choreography award was bagged by Dinesh Kumar for Aadukalam (Tamil).
Germ in Hindi is the Best Non-Feature Film (director Snehal R. Nair).
