The 71st National Film Awards were announced on 1 August, bringing cheers as well as questions. While many applauded the winners, some also led to debates. Among the most talked-about were ‘The Kerala Story’ getting awards for best direction and cinematography, and Shah Rukh Khan receiving his first National Award for Best Actor for ‘Jawan’.
Jury decisions should be respected
Filmmaker Shoojit Sircar shared his thoughts on the discussions around the awards. In a chat with Hindustan Times, he said, “I feel that there is no point debating this from the outside. You leave it to the jury. We might agree to disagree on many things, but finally, what matters is, who is the jury there. Because that jury is going to be your final word, and you leave it to their sensibility. You can’t question what award they have given. I think we would rather question that before they start. Who is the jury? What are their sensibilities?”
The jury chair explained why the film won awards
Ashutosh Gowariker, the jury chairperson, told NDTV why ‘The Kerala Story’ won major awards. He said about the cinematography by Prasantanu Mohapatra, “The cinematography in ‘The Kerala Story’ was very stark and realistic. It didn’t ever try to overpower the narrative; the images were created within the realm of things. So, we applauded that.”
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Regarding Sudipto Sen’s Best Direction win, Gowariker said, “It’s a difficult topic and to convey that with the kind of clarity that as a jury we felt the need to applaud it.”
SRK’s win marks a milestone
Meanwhile, Shah Rukh Khan’s Best Actor award for ‘Jawan’ was his first National Award. Though surprising to some, many applauded him and supported the jury’s decision as it marked a career milestone for the superstar.
