Alia Bhatt and Kriti Sanon jointly bag the Best Actress award
NEW DELHI: The President of India, Droupadi Murmu, on Tuesday conferred the National Film Awards for the year 2021 under various categories at the 69th edition of the ceremony that took place at the Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. The prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke Award was conferred to Waheeda Rehman on the occasion.
Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting (I&B), Anurag Singh Thakur, Union Minister of State for I&B Dr. L. Murugan, Secretary, Ministry of I&B, Apurva Chandra, Chairpersons of Jury and other dignitaries were present at the event.
President Droupadi Murmu congratulated Waheeda Rehman and said that she had established herself at the pinnacle of the film industry with her art and personality. Even in her personal life, she had made her mark as a woman of dignity, self-confidence and originality, she said.
“She chose many films in which her roles broke many barriers typically associated with women. Waheeda ji has set an example that women themselves should also take initiative for women empowerment,” President Murmu said.
Union Minister Anurag Thakur expressed his pride in the Indian film industry and said that today nothing is regional; if the content is good, regional content will find global audience. Speaking about the legend Waheeda Rehman, Thakur said that as Indian films transcend international borders, a similar claim to fame is reserved for her. He extended his heartfelt congratulations on her being awarded Dadasaheb Phalke Award.
The Minister informed the audience that the Government stands shoulder to shoulder with the industry in its efforts to counter movie piracy and it has brought Cinematograph Act which is a big step in curbing this menace. On the same note, the Minister spoke about the potential of AVGC sector in India and added that government is going to come out with a policy on that and that will help India realise its potential as ‘content hub of the world’.
Actor Alia Bhatt was conferred with the Best Actress Award for her performance in the film 'Gangubai Kathiawadi' at the 69th National Film Awards. Alia has jointly won the Best Actor award with Kriti Sanon, who has won in the same category for her performance in the film 'Mimi'. Alia received the award from President Droupadi Murmu.
Alia arrived at the ceremony along with her husband Ranbir Kapoor. She added glamour to the event as she came donned in a beige-coloured embroidered saree that complemented the Indian culture.
Helmed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, 'Gangubai Kathiawadi' revolves around a maiden sold by a suitor into prostitution and how she becomes a prominent and celebrated figure in the underworld and Kamathipua red-light district.
Telugu star Allu Arjun was honoured with the Best Actor Award. He received the award for his role in 'Pushpa: The Rise - Part 1. He was given the token of his win by President Droupadi Murmu. This is Allu Arjun's first National Award.
He attended the ceremony wearing a white suit. His wife Sneha Reddy was also present with him during the special moment. She wore a stunning ethnic suit.
Actor Kriti Sanon was conferred with the Best Actress Award at the 69th National Film Awards for her performance in the film 'Mimi'.
Kriti received the award from President Droupadi Murmu. Kriti arrived at the ceremony along with her parents.
She looked beautiful as she donned a pastel saree at the awards ceremony. Kriti jointly won the Best Actress award with Alia Bhatt.
'Mimi' tells the story of a young woman named Mimi (Kriti) who agrees to become a surrogate mother for a foreign couple, hoping to use the money to fulfil her dream of becoming an actress. However, the biological parents back out when they learn that the child will be born with Down syndrome. Mimi then decided to raise the child on her own and faced several challenges and societal pressures as a single mother. Her journey as a mother and her struggle to provide for her child despite the odds is both heartwarming and inspiring.
Ace music composer MM Keeravani was also bestowed with the National Award. President Droupadi Murmu presented the award to Keeravani, who won the Best Background Score award for director SS Rajamouli's 'RRR'.
Keeravani's son Kaala Bhairava, too, bagged the award at the 69th National Film Awards. Kaala Bhairava won best playback singer for the song 'Komuram Bheemudo'.
This year has been extremely special for 'RRR' team as the 'Naatu Naatu' song became the first Indian song ever to win the Golden Globes for Best Original Song. Later, it won the 'Best Original Song' at the 95th Academy Awards.
SS Rajamouli was also present at the 69th National Film Awards. His film bagged six awards at the ceremony.
The film also won the award for Special effects for Srinivas Mohan, choreography for Prem Rakshith and action direction for King Solomon.
'RRR' won an award in the category Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment as well. Rajamouli received the award for this category.
Released in 2022, 'RRR' is a fictional story based on the lives of two Telugu freedom fighters, Alluri Seetharama Raju and Komaram Bheem. Ram Charan and Jr NTR played lead roles, respectively. The film collected over Rs 1,200 crore worldwide. Alia Bhatt, Ajay Devgn and Shriya Saran also starred in the film. (ANI)
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