Malayalam film “Adaminte Makan Abu” bagged the national award for best feature film. Salim Kumar, the lead actor in “Adaminte Makan Abu”, won the best actor award along with Tamil actor Dhanush, who played lead role in “Aadukalam”. The award for best actress went to Tamil film actress Saranya Ponvannan for her performance in “Thenmerkku Paruvakkatru”.
The P R Ramadas Naidu-directed “Hejjegalu”, also produced by Patil, received the award for best children’s film while “Puttakkana Highway” bagged the best Kannada feature film award for a persuasive articulation of a topical social issue where, in the name of development, land is appropriated and people are displaced as a consequence.
This year’s Feature Films jury was headed by J P Dutta, the Non-Feature Films jury by A K Bir and Best Writing on Cinema jury was headed by Ashok Vajpeyi. Bollywood’s Salman Khan-starrer “Dabangg” picked up the award for best popular film providing wholesome entertainment.
“For an industry that has steadfastly refused to acknowledge and reward its creative fountainhead—the creator of its stories—the citation acknowledges a literary giant, late Dr Shivaram Karanth,” “Bettada Jeeva’s” citation read.
It also acknowledged Karanth’s association with the world of Indian cinema.
“My friends have now begun to compare me to the Jacob Sheep, the six-horned creature,” P Sheshadri said on bagging yet another national award, making it six in a row. He stands as the only film director to have achieved this rare feat in the entire country. After “Munnudi” (2001), “Atithi” (2002), “Beru” (2005), “Thuthuri” (2007) and “Vimukti” (2008), “Bettada Jeeva”, a parallel film based on Karanth's novel with the same title, won Sheshadri his latest national award.
To be released in a couple of weeks, “Bettada Jeeva” is not a 'nature' film. "It was shot in some of the most picturesque and lush locales in and around Kukke Subramanya. This, coupled with the fact that the protagonists were portrayed as nature lovers, may have been the reason the film was considered under the environment category," Sheshadri said.
Dedicating his film to the poor, orphaned and down-trodden children, Naidu said he made “Hejjegalu” to boost the confidence of the rural youth. The 105-minute-long film also won the second best film award at the 3rd International Children’s Film Festival held in Lucknow.
Naidu said the film’s story, which revolves around a nine-year-old, neither preaches nor is it adventurous in nature. “It is about the present education system and the struggles the rural students endure, which has been portrayed through the life of a young girl who wages a silent revolution overcoming the various difficulties life throws at her,” Naidu said.
B Suresh, who directed “Puttakkana Highway”, said he was inspired by journalists to make the film. Adapted from a short story titled “Puttakkana Medical College”, and written by Nagathihalli Chandrashekar, the film’s narrative is about development and displacement.
Suresh said: “The objective was to bring the faceless to the forefront. I started work on the script in 2003 when works on the NICE corridor had begun. I was curious to know the consequences of such a big project, and to get a better understanding I traveled on all the National Highways in the country, at highest speed possible. On one hand I was happy that our country has seen such development, but on the other hand, I wondered, development at what cost?”
The film was shot alongside the highways originating from Bangalore to Ranebennur and is set for release in 12 centres on Friday.
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