Wednesday, July 13, 2005

Madhur Bhandarkar stole my words

"I can’t believe it. When I got a call about this news I was shocked and numb," said Madhur Bhandarkar after he heard that his filmPage 3 had been won the National Award for the Best Film. Exactly my words. I am still shocked and numb. Apart from Konkona SenSharma, there was nothing in Page 3 worth watching for anyone above age 3.

And I can't believe Saif Ali Khan winning the Best Actor award for Hum Tum. I am not saying he was bad in the film, but an award-winning performace?

The National Film Awards have been losing it for quite some time. But after this year, any actor worth his facial muscles wouldn't be proud of the so-called prestigious award. Nor a director worth the hat should.

The National Film Awards are highly politicised, like any other government-awarded titles and awards. I will not be surprised to know Saif's mom Sharmila, crony to many senior Congress cronies, played a role. This is a hallmark of the Congress days.

Not that the BJP days were any better. Raveena Tandon, who campaigned for the BJP, lobbied for a National Award for Daman, which was by the way a decent film. Her maternal uncle, Mac Mohan, was one of the jury members that year. Now how did Mac Mohan went on to be a a jury member is another story. Mac Mohan is remembered for playing the villain's sidekick in Sholay. He is the Samba of "Arrey O Samba".

4 comments:

Tridib said...

I can't agree more. I, too, was taken aback when I heard that Page 3 has got the National Award. For a moment, I wondered whether my sense of cinema had suffered a temporary impairment. But, your post was reassuring. I found Page 3 a bit over the top, in the sense that it tended to overdramatise. Which was a disappointment because my friends, who had seen the film before me, had praised it to high heavens. Hadn't it been for Konkona, I don't think I would have sat throught the whole film.

sumandatta said...

yeah...these awards r a sure loser man...i thnk even the winners dont take them seriously which they r right 2 do...and mcmohan on the jury! oh my god! wht will they hav next? the pigeon from maine pyar kiya??

Yoja said...

i also think that National awards are not what they used to be..with past winners like Mammoty,Kamala Hassan
and recent winners like Saif,Ajay Devgan
and what about the films.....Hum Tum and Raincoat

One weird thing was a Marathi film Devrai which is essentialy based on Schizophrenia got an award for Best Environmental Film....

Truly in this world on hundreds of award shows and glams i considerd National Awards to be the only genuine awards..but cannot say that now....

Also films like Bunty aur Babli going TAXFREE in UP

:-(

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