"A very interesting combination": Meera Chopra on Mammootty-Kartik Aaryan Best Actor win
New Delhi, July 18
The 72nd National Film Awards celebrated some of the finest performances and films from across the country.
Actress Meera Chopra, who was part of the feature film jury, said choosing the winners was one of the toughest tasks as every shortlisted film deserved recognition.
Speaking to ANI, Meera said the jury had shortlisted 50 films out of nearly 400 entries. She shared that selecting the winners from those film was "almost an impossible task" because every film was exceptional. She also said the jury tried to recognise those who had done something different while making sure that all film industries across the country were fairly represented.
"50 of 400 were shortlisted - 50 best films from all across India. We had to give awards from those 50 films. It was almost an impossible task to do because those 50 films were fantastic. They were all brilliant films. Our genuine effort was to ensure that the awards go to those who have done something different and that all industries get represented. We did a balancing act so that nobody feels that one industry got more than the others. It's very difficult to select from 50 best films. Everything was brilliant."
Meera also spoke about the Best Actor award, which was jointly given to Mammootty for Bramayugam and Kartik Aaryan for 'Chandu Champion.' Calling it a "very interesting combination," she said Mammootty's performance made him a clear choice for the jury, while Kartik was recognised for stepping out of his comfort zone with a different kind of role. She added that this was one of the most difficult decisions the jury continued discussing till the very last day.
"I think it's a very interesting combination. Mammootty Sir is a legend. He was bound to be awarded because I think I have not seen a movie in India like his movie 'Bramayugam'. When we watched it, the jury knew that we have to award him. Kartik Aaryan tried to do something very different than what he usually does. So, we awarded him. I hope people like this combination because this was the most difficult combination which we were discussing until today morning..."
On Yami Gautam winning the Best Actress award for Article 370, Meera said there were only a few women-led films among the shortlisted entries. She said the jury picked the best film from that category and called it a "very easy decision."
"This year, the representation of women-centric films were very few. So, we had only a few short-listed selected films. We chose the best. This was a very easy decision."
Article 370, starring Yami Gautam, turned out to be the biggest winner at the 72nd National Film Awards by winning the Best Feature Film award.
The winners were announced by Feature Film Jury Chairperson Jayaraj, Non-Feature Film Jury Chairperson Aseem Sinha and Best Writing on Cinema Jury Chairperson A. Chandrasekhar. They were joined by Dr. Ajay Nagabhushan M.N., Joint Secretary (Films), and Dhirendra Ojha, Principal Director General of the Press Information Bureau (PIB).
The National Film Awards are among India's highest honours in cinema. They recognise excellence in feature films, non-feature films and writing on cinema across different Indian languages and genres.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Mammootty and Kartik Aaryan winning together? Talk about a generational clash! 😂 But seriously, it's nice to see the jury acknowledging different types of excellence. Mammootty's sheer mastery vs Kartik's breakthrough. Both earned it.
I'm happy for Mammootty but Kartik Aaryan? Really? There were so many better performances this year. Rajkummar Rao in 'Srikanth', Manoj Bajpayee in 'Silence 2'... I feel like the jury favoured commercial appeal over true craft. Chandu Champion was average at best.
Meera Chopra's comments about the 'balancing act' are interesting. She's basically admitting they gave awards to keep industries happy rather than purely based on merit. That's disappointing for a national award. We deserve transparency in these decisions.
Finally some recognition for women-led films! Yami Gautam in Article 370 was brilliant. And happy to see a film from the South getting its due. Mammootty is a legend, no doubt. But hope next year we see more diverse winners from smaller industries too. 🙏
The fact that 'Bramayugam' even exists is a miracle. A black-and-white Malayalam horror film winning at the National Awards? Our cinema is evolving. Mammootty in that role was haunting. Kartik Aaryan's win feels like a consolation, but good for him trying something new.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.