The announcement of National Film Awards has been welcomed with loud cheer all around, especially by film buffs who were gobsmacked when India’s official Oscar entry was announced last year. Barfi!, a film that had been ripped apart by film nerds for the number of scenes it had “lifted” from classic foreign films, was India’s official entry.
But good cinema had its day on Monday, when critically acclaimed, low-budget films were recognised and rewarded.
High-quality productions with good storylines have been drawing audiences to the cinema halls for a while. But that these people’s favourite films and performances are being recognised with Swarna and Rajat Kamals is new and worth celebrating. Playing a real-life figure who went from soldier to medal-winning athlete to dacoit, Irrfan Khan stole the major acting honours for Paan Singh Tomar, jointly with Vikram Gokhale for the Marathi film Anumati. And Vicky Donor, a film without “stars”, picked up awards too, for its superb supporting cast, and for its refreshingly new story.
In the 100th year of Indian feature films, it’s appropriate that the socially relevant Tamil film Vazhakku Enn 18/9, portraying the horrors of acid attacks on women, should share the best regional film award with Eega, a Telugu romantic fantasy (also made in Tamil). The innovations shown in tackling bold themes may be driving Indian cinema into its second century. And that spells entertainment.