Priyadarshan finally gets an award in his 25 years career
News
oi-Staff
By Super Admin
Priyadarshan
who"s
shooting
in
a
distant
Karaikudi
cannot
believe
his
Tamil
film
Kanchivaram
has
won
the
National
award
for
best
film.
“This
isn"t
just
my
first
National
award
it"s
my
first
award
ever
Can
you
believe,
in
my
career
of
25
years
as
film
director
this
is
the
first
time
I"ve
won
an
award.
And
that
I"ve
won
it
for
Kanchivaram
is
a
very
special
thing
for
me.
This
film
is
very
close
to
my
heart." Says
the
director
emotionally,
even
as
he
prepares
for
the
release
of
his
next
masala
film
De
Dana
Dan.
“Now
when
the
critics
see
De
Dana
Dan
they"ll
say
Priyan
is
back
to
his
old
tricks," chuckles
the
prolific
director.
“But
I
am
proud
of
my
masala
films
as
well.
It"s
very
important
for
a
film
to
get
an
audience.
And
my
comedies
are
big
successes.
I
can"t
fight
success.
I
will
continue
to
make
the
massy
comedies,"
says
the
director
whose
films
have
often
been
accused
if
being
wholesale
adaptations
of
South
Indian
films.
Ironically
all
his
serious-toned
films
in
Hindi
including
the
recent
Billu
with
Shahrukh
Khan
have
been
failures.
“I"ve
to
make
what
the
audience
likes.
But
now,
I
also
have
to
make
films
that
are
close
to
my
heart."
“Kanchivaram
is
a
completely
original
screenplay.
And
I"m
really
happy
for
my
leading
man
Prakash
Raj.
He
has
breathed
life
into
the
role
of
the
silk
weaver.
Sabu
Cyril
who
has
worked
many
times
with
me
got
the
National
award
for
best
art
direction.
Sabu
has
made
every
frame
look
like
a
silk
saree
woven
with
love
and
care."
Sadly
Priyan
missed
out
on
the
National
award
for
best
director.
“But
no
regrets.
Adoor
Gopalkrishnan
is
a
colleague
I
greatly
admire.
He
deserved
it.
I"m
just
glad
to
be
finally
recognized
after
all
these
years."
Contrary
to
reports
in
a
section
of
the
press
(put
out
by
vested
interests
jumping
the
gun
to
create
hype
around
their
nominated
films)
Anil
Kapoor"s
Gandhi
My
Father
and
Shah
Rukh
prestigious
starrer
Chak
De
have
lost
the
Nagis
Dutt
Award
for
Best
Film
On
National
Integration
to
Bhavna
Talwar"s
Dharm.
Confirming
this
Dharm"s
producer
Sheetal
Talwar
says,
“Yes,
our
film
has
won
the
Nargis
Dutt
Award
for
Best
Film
on
National
Integration.
We"re
proud
because
the
other
nominee
was
Chak
De,
which
was
a
very
good
film.
My
wife
Bhavna
is
the
first
debutant
director
to
win
this
award.
Earlier
it
has
gone
to
stalwarts
like
Mani
Ratnam."
The
Prime
Minister
Manmohan
Singh
saw
Dharm
at
a
special
screening
some
time
ago.
“The
last
time
he
had
seen
a
film
was
Lage
Raho
Munnabhai,"
says
Sheetal
proudly.
However
Sheetal
Talwar
is
miffed
that
Pankaj
Kapoor
has
lost
the
best
actor
award
in
Dharm
to
Prakash
Raj.
“I"ve
seen
Kanchivaram
and
it
deserves
every
National
award
that
it
has
got.
But
I
thought
Prakash,
though
brilliant,
was
a
little
over-the-top.
Pankaj
in
our
film
was
incredibly
subtle
and
nuanced."
Prakash
Raj
has
won
the
award
for
his
sterling
performance
as
silk
weaver
in
Priyadarshan"s
Kanchivaram.
This
would
be
Prakash"s
second
National
award.
He
earlier
won
the
best
supporting
actor
award
for
Mani
Ratnam"s
Iruvar.
The
film
has
also
beaten
the
popular
entry
Taare
Zameen
Par
for
the
best
film
category.
Taare
Zameen
Par
has
to
be
content
with
winning
the
National
award
for
best
Hindi
film.
Priyadarshan
who
hoped
to
win
the
National
award
for
best
director
has
lost
the
award
to
the
awards
favorite
Adoor
Gopalakrishan
who
won
for
the
Malayalam
film
Nalu
Pennungal.
The
National
award
for
best
actress
has
gone
to
Kannada
politician-actress
Umashree
for
Grirish
Kasaravalli"s
Gulabi
Talkies.
The
National
award
for
best
first
film
has
gone
to
Shivajee
Chandrabhushan"s
Frozen
beating
the
other
popular
entry
Amrit
Sagar"s
1971
in
the
category.