Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2021: Manoj Bajpayee, Samantha Akkineni and Suriya bag top honours

Actor Manoj Bajpayee was adjudged the 'Best Actor in a Series' for his work in The Family Man 2 at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2021 on Friday. The star highlighted that storytelling is a collaborative effort and thanked the writers for letting him sink his teeth into an 'interesting' character.

"It’s highly embarrassing for me to take away the award to myself without mentioning everyone involved," he said during the virtual press conference.

Sam shines

Samantha Akkineni, who essayed a key role in The Family Man 2, won the award for 'Best Actress in a series'. The star thanked the directors Raj and DK for trusting her with the part of Rajji, a character completely different from anything she has done in the past. The Amazon Prime Video original featured Bajpayee in the role of an NIA agent and highlighted what happens when his character locks horns with a rebel, played by the 96 star. It had a layered narrative that highlighted the 'human cost' of socio-political issues. It had a strong supporting cast that included Sharib Hashmi, Priyamani, Uday Mahesh, and Sharad Kelkar.

Mirzapur 2 leaves an impact

The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2021 proved to be a memorable affair for Gurmeet Singh as Mirzapur 2 won the award for 'Best series. It was the second instalment of the Mirzapur franchise and revolved around the violent clash between 'Guddu', played by Ali Fazal, and Pankaj Tripathi's Kaleen.

Suriya proves his mettle

Tamil star Suriya won the Award for 'Best Actor' for his work in Soorarai Pottru, directed by Sudha Kongara. He thanked the ace filmmaker for producing a well-researched script.

"I felt bored with what I was doing after having worked for 20 years. So thanks to my director Sudha - this film was her 10 years dream - she worked 4 years on writing or his film. The character of Maara will not be anything without her," added the Singam hero.

The film was 'inspired by' the life of Air Deccan founder G R Gopinath and celebrated his undying spirit. It had an impressive cast that included Aparna Balmurali, 'Collection King' Mohan Babu and Bollywood legend Paresh Rawal. The film premiered digitally last year, receiving rave reviews from critics

The full list

Best Feature Film - Soorarai Pottru

Best Performance Male (Feature) - Suriya (Soorarai Pottru)

Best Performance Female (Feature) - Vidya Balan (Sherni)

Best Director - Anurag Basu (Ludo)

Best Series - Mirzapur Season 2

Best Actress in a Series - Samantha Akkineni (The Family Man 2)

Best Actor in a Series - Manoj Bajpayee (The Family Man 2)

Equality in Cinema (Short Film) - Sheer Qorma

Equality in Cinema Award (Feature Film) - The Great Indian Kitchen

Best Indie Film - Fire in the Mountains

Diversity in Cinema Award - Pankaj Tripathi

Disruptor Award - Sanal Kumar Sasidharan

Best Documentary Film – Shut Up Sona