Meenakshi Shedde: National Awards: baap ka maal

Bollywood assumes the National Film Awards are like the Oscars The Oscars are primarily awards for American films with just the Best Foreign Language Film award going to a nonAmerican film it is relatively rare in Oscar history that nonAmerican talent has won top categories like Best Director Film Actor Actress Cinematographer or Editor Likewise Bollywood feels the National Awards are its baap ka maalIf a nonBollywood mainstream film wins a top category there are howls of rage If it is a smallish Bengali or Marathi film chalo theek hai yaar mdash cheenti hai its an ant it doesnt matter is the attitude True Best Film went to superb arthouse films like Court and Ship of Theseus in previous years But if Sanjay Leela Bhansali can win Best Director for Bajirao Mastani and Amitabh Bachchan and Kangana Ranaut for Best Actor and Actress why not Best Film for Baahubali producer Arka Mediaworks Shobu YarlagaddaDeepika Padukone in a still from Bajirao MastaniSo first Id like to congratulate each of the winners for winning this prestigious award out of 308 entries mdash no mean feat Many are outraged at the National Film Awards going to mainstream cinema The National Film Awards are for good cinema regardless of whether it is mainstream or arthouse and regardless of language In fact as a member of the National Film Award Jury a number of times previously Ive read the criteria closely which include awarding films of aesthetic and technical excellence and social relevance contributing to the understanding and appreciation of cultures of different regions of the country in cinematic form and thereby also promoting integration and unity of the nation So Baahubali is spot on Frankly Baahubali was a slap in the face of Bollywood which didnt know what hit it when it first arrivedQuotas in art are inherently not a sound idea so why should there be award quotas for arthouse films I admit Baahubali was rather long and the story somewhat tangled But its sheer craftsmanship was amazing especially how director SS Rajamouli coherently combined in the same film epic biblical images mdash that womans hand emerging from a flood carrying a baby aloft mdash mythological elements and a futuristic video game feel The cinematography and special effects were world class and great to see a gorgeous woman warrior along with MastaniBajirao Mastani won a slew of awards including Best Director for Sanjay Leela Bhansali Im delighted mdash again his craftsmanship is exquisite and outstanding It is remarkable how Bhansali that most mainstream of directors and a Gujarati director at that dares to make a political Bollywood story by celebrating a HinduMuslim period romance at a time of the ascendancy of Hindu fundamentalists He brings exquisite classical ragabased music classical dance Birju Maharajs kathak and semiclassical art Raja Ravi Varmas paintings including Damayanti and the Swan and regional elements like the gorgeous Pinga dance to a mainstream film that he himself has coproduced with Eros mdash he could easily have made a masala potboiler instead Bajirao Mastanis wins include Best Director Cinematographer Sound Designer Production Designer Choreographer Supporting Female Actress and RerecordistOverall it seems like a strange bargain mdash OK well give you Baahubali and keep all the other top awards Films that deserved much better include Nagraj Manjules Sairat Raam Reddys Thithi Navdeep Singhs NH10 and Bikas Mishras Chauranga And why do awards for the Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment always go to Bollywood I enjoyed Bajrangi Bhaijaan and greatly value its message but Mani Ratnams O Kadhal Kanmani in Tamil a delightful a feisty film on what love means to two generations today was a strong contender too bad it is not Bollywood Earlier this award has gone to Mary Kom Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and Vicky Donor shared with Ustad Hotel Malayalam Except for Baahubali regional cinema this year mainly got the other categories mdash Best Supporting Actor Music Director Editor Special Effects Social Issues Environment Costumes MakeupMeanwhile at FICCI FRAMES the KPMG entertainment report stated that regional films and Hollywood fared better than Bollywood in 2015 And that eight of the top 10 Hindi films in terms of return on investment were low budget films like Dum Laga Ke Haisha Piku NH10 and Badlapur The fine print said by low budget they meant R50 crore mdash sighMeenakshi Shedde is South Asia Consultant to the Berlin Film Festival awardwinning critic curator to festivals worldwide and journalist Reach her at meenakshisheddegmailcom