India's screen stars dazzled at the 68th National Film Awards — as Tamil title Soorarai Pottru (Hail the Brave) was crowned Best Film.
The film was inspired by the story of GR Gopinath, the man who founded Simplifly Deccan — India’s first budget airline.
Released on Amazon Prime Video in November 2020, the film stars Suriya, Aparna Balamurali and Paresh Rawal.
Suriya picked up the award for Best Actor at the annual awards, sharing it with Bollywood star Ajay Devgn for his part in period drama Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior.
Aparna Balamurali picked up Best Actress for her role in the same film. Soorarai Pottru also won Best Background Score and Best Screenplay.
It was a big night for South Indian film with Madonne Ashwin taking the Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director for his political satire Mandela, which is streaming on Netflix. And Sivaranjiniyum Innum Sila Pengalum picked up three accolades, including Best Feature Film in Tamil.
Kerala tribal woman Nanchamma also made the honour list. The 62-year-old folk singer took home the National Award for India’s best singer for her work on Ayyappanum Koshiyum.
Established in 1954, the prestigious film awards are administered by the Government of India’s Directorate of Film Festivals. This year’s event recognised films released in 2020, across several categories.
Legendary filmmaker Vipul Shah headed the jury for the feature film category while non-feature films were overseen by Chitrartha Singh. Journalist Anant Vijay chaired the Best Writing on Cinema category.
Information and Broadcasting minister Anurag Thakur thanked all the jury members and those working in India’s film industry.
“I want to congratulate all the jury members and all those people whose work was reviewed and would like to congratulate those recipients who will be awarded with the National Film Awards,” said Thakur.
Full list of winners at India's 68th National Film Awards:
Best Feature Film: Soorarai Pottru
Best Director: Sachy for Ayyappanum Koshiyum
Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment: Tanhaji
Best Actor: Suriya for Soorarai Pottru and Ajay Devgn for Tanhaji
Best Actress: Aparna Balamurali for Soorarai Pottru
Best Supporting Actor: Biju Menon for Ayyappanum Koshiyam
Best Supporting Actress: Lakshmi Priyaa Chandramouli for Sivaranjaniyum Innum Sila Pengallum
Best Screenplay: Soorarai Pottru
Best Screenplay (dialogue writer): Madonne Ashwin for Mandela
Best Music Direction (songs): Thaman S for Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo
Best Music Direction (background music): GV Prakash for Soorarai Pottru
Best Male Playback Singer: Rahul Deshpande for Me Vasantrao
Best Female Playback Singer: Nanchamma for Ayyappanum Koshiyam
Best Lyrics: Manoj Muntashir for Saina
Best Audiography (location sound recordist): Jobin Jayan for Dollu
Best Audiography (sound designer): Anmol Bhave for Me Vasantrao
Best Audiography (re-recordist of the final mixed track): Vishnu Govind and Sree Sankar for Malik
Best Choreography: Sandhya Raju for Natyam
Best Cinematography: Supratim Bhol for Avijatrik
Best Costume Design: Nachiket Barve and Mahesh Sherla for Tanhaji
Best Production Design: Anees Nadodi for Kappela
Best Editing: Sreekar Prasad for Sivaranjiniyum Innum Sila Pengalum
Best Make-up: TV Rambabu for Natyam
Best Stunt Choreography: Rajasekhar, Mafia Sasi and Supreme Sunder for Ayyappanum Koshiyum
Best films in each language:
Best Hindi Film: Toolsidas Junior
Best Kannada Film: Dollu
Best Malayalam Film: Thinkalazhcha Nishchayam
Best Tamil Film: Sivaranjiniyum Innum Sila Pengalum
Best Telugu Film: Colour Photo
Best Haryanvi Film: Dada Lakhmi
Best Dimasa Film: Semkhor
Best Tulu Film: Jeetige
Best Marathi Film: Goshta Eka Paithanichi
Best Bengali Film: Avijatrik
Best Assamese Film: The Bridge
Notable salonnières of the Middle East through history
Al Khasan (Okaz, Saudi Arabia)
Tamadir bint Amr Al Harith, known simply as Al Khasan, was a poet from Najd famed for elegies, earning great renown for the eulogy of her brothers Mu’awiyah and Sakhr, both killed in tribal wars. Although not a salonnière, this prestigious 7th century poet fostered a culture of literary criticism and could be found standing in the souq of Okaz and reciting her poetry, publicly pronouncing her views and inviting others to join in the debate on scholarship. She later converted to Islam.
Maryana Marrash (Aleppo)
A poet and writer, Marrash helped revive the tradition of the salon and was an active part of the Nadha movement, or Arab Renaissance. Born to an established family in Aleppo in Ottoman Syria in 1848, Marrash was educated at missionary schools in Aleppo and Beirut at a time when many women did not receive an education. After touring Europe, she began to host salons where writers played chess and cards, competed in the art of poetry, and discussed literature and politics. An accomplished singer and canon player, music and dancing were a part of these evenings.
Princess Nazil Fadil (Cairo)
Princess Nazil Fadil gathered religious, literary and political elite together at her Cairo palace, although she stopped short of inviting women. The princess, a niece of Khedive Ismail, believed that Egypt’s situation could only be solved through education and she donated her own property to help fund the first modern Egyptian University in Cairo.
Mayy Ziyadah (Cairo)
Ziyadah was the first to entertain both men and women at her Cairo salon, founded in 1913. The writer, poet, public speaker and critic, her writing explored language, religious identity, language, nationalism and hierarchy. Born in Nazareth, Palestine, to a Lebanese father and Palestinian mother, her salon was open to different social classes and earned comparisons with souq of where Al Khansa herself once recited.
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