63rd National Awards: A
reflection of the changing winds in Bollywood
Blockbuster success and critical appreciation seldom go together, but
the 63rd National Awards could well be a reflection of the changing winds in
Bollywood.In an award which tilts heavily towards regional cinema and
smaller films, three of this year's major winners are Bollywood, and all of them are money-spinners. Three of them - 'Baahubali', 'Tanu
Weds Manu Returns' and 'Bajirao Mastani' - are among the top five highest
grossers of 2015. In a paradigm shift, this year's National Awards could be
called the most 'popular' ever.
Until now, Hindi films would hardly feature in one category out of the big four each year, with regional cinema dominating. The only exception in recent years would be the 61st Awards, when they were all Hindi films; however, they were the arthouse, small budget variety - 'Shahid' (Best Actor, Best Director), 'Liar's Dice' (Best Actress) and 'Ship Of Theseus' (Best Feature Film). In fact, Kiran Rao, while promoting 'Ship Of Theseus', had confided in us that the film's team was not being too loud about its award-winning status at major film festivals, since they thought it would dent its chances at attracting a bigger audience. Now, by picking some of the biggest blockbusters of the year, the National Awards have redefined what an 'award-winning film' means. In the art versus commercial battle, if you didn't set the box office on fire, at least you had a shot at critical success. But this year's winners have their cake and ate it too.
63rd National Film Awards: List of winners
Until now, Hindi films would hardly feature in one category out of the big four each year, with regional cinema dominating. The only exception in recent years would be the 61st Awards, when they were all Hindi films; however, they were the arthouse, small budget variety - 'Shahid' (Best Actor, Best Director), 'Liar's Dice' (Best Actress) and 'Ship Of Theseus' (Best Feature Film). In fact, Kiran Rao, while promoting 'Ship Of Theseus', had confided in us that the film's team was not being too loud about its award-winning status at major film festivals, since they thought it would dent its chances at attracting a bigger audience. Now, by picking some of the biggest blockbusters of the year, the National Awards have redefined what an 'award-winning film' means. In the art versus commercial battle, if you didn't set the box office on fire, at least you had a shot at critical success. But this year's winners have their cake and ate it too.
63rd National Film Awards: List of winners
"Films like 'Piku' and 'Tanu-Manu' winning is a very good sign that quality content is not just for film festivals. The popularity and money these films made clearly indicate that the janta appreciates good cinema. Both TWMR and 'Piku' were stories with strong female characters and were entertaining, so I think the National Award selection has been remarkable this year" says Advaita Kala, author, head of jury at this year's National Awards for Best Writing for Cinema .
"The popularity of films like 'Bajirao' or 'Tanu-Manu' should not come in the way of acknowledging an individual's craft. Be it Juhi Chaturvedi winning for 'Piku' or Kangana for 'Tanu-Manu', the work done was brilliant", says Gautam Chintamani, author and this year's jury member for Best Writing for Cinema
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