KUTTY Srank (The Sailor of Hearts), the poignant tale of a boatman told through the eyes of the three women he loved, swept the 57th National Film Awards yesterday, taking home five of India’s highest film honours.
The Malayalam-language film, directed by veteran director Shaji N Karun, bagged trophies for best film, screenplay, cinematography, costume design and a special jury mention.
“I have got National Awards before but every award is exciting in itself because it gives you the courage to go ahead and make your kind of cinema without any doubt in your mind,” Karun said.
“I made Kutty Srank in a non-linear style and to my mind it was a difficult subject to tackle,” he said.
The 58-year-old filmmaker has won five national awards before but lost out on the best director prize this time to Bengali filmmaker Rituparno Ghosh.
Ghosh won for Abohoman (The Eternal), a film which also earned Ananya Chatterjee the best actress honour.
Bollywood struck gold with four awards for R Balki’s Paa, including a best actor trophy for Amitabh Bachchan for his portrayal of a teenager trapped in an old man’s body.
“Any award is always welcome because they make an actor feel wanted,” Bachchan told reporters outside his residence, hours after jury chairman Ramesh Sippy announced the awards.
This is the third best actor national film award for the 67-year-old Bachchan and his fourth overall.
The actor had to undergo hours of make-up and prosthetic treatment to transform himself into a 13-year-old afflicted with progeria, a rare genetic condition that causes a person to age faster than normal.
Paa also won trophies for best Hindi film, supporting actress and make-up.
3 Idiots, India’s biggest blockbuster to date, was the other big Bollywood winner, scoring for best wholesome entertainer, lyrics and audiography.
Shyam Benegal’s Well Done Abba, a satire on the red tapism that afflicts many of India’s social welfare programme was adjudged the best film on social issues while Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s Delhi-6 won the Nargis Dutt award for National Integration.
Amit Trivedi’s music score in Anurag Kashyap’s Dev D fetched him the music director trophy while Swanand Kirkire was awarded for his lyrics in 3 Idiots.
