Photo: 58th National Awards Winners
58th National Awards have been announced. And as expected, most of the winners are from down south. The feature films jury was headed by J.P. Dutta, Non-Feature Films jury was headed by A.K. Bir and Best Writing on Cinema jury was headed by Ashok Vajpeyi.
FEATURE FILMS
1. BEST FEATURE FILM
Adaminte Makan Abu (Malayalam) – Producer: Salim Ahamed. Director : Salim Ahamed
(For a simple yet evocative articulation of humanist values that frees matters of faith from the constrictions of narrow parochialism. The concerns of Abu, son of Adam, are timeless and universal in their scope. )
2. INDIRA GANDHI AWARD FOR BEST DEBUT FILM OF A DIRECTOR
Baboo Band Baaja (Marathi) – Producer: Nita Jadhav. Director : Rajesh Pinjani
(For a riveting tale of a father reluctant to educate his son, a mother who fiercely believes in its liberatory value, and the son who is caught in the crossfire, ‘Baboo’ is an outstanding debut project by director. )
3. AWARD FOR BEST POPULAR FILM PROVIDING WHOLESOME ENTERTAINMENT
Dabangg (Hindi) – Producer: Arbaaz Khan, Malaika Arora Khan & Dhilin Mehta. Director : Abhinav Singh Kashyap
(Answers the need of cinegoers for entertainment rooted in Indian soil.)
4. NARGIS DUTT AWARD FOR BEST FEATURE FILM ON NATIONAL INTEGRATION
Moner Manush (Bengali) – Producer: Gautam Kundu. Director : Goutam Ghose
(For celebrating the union of the human spirit through the life and song of Sufi poets in the Baul tradition.)
5. BEST FILM ON SOCIAL ISSUES
Champions (Marathi) – Producer: Aishwarya Narkar. Director : Ramesh More
(In a world of deprivation, the thirst for an education surpasses the hunger for food amongst two young brothers fending for each other and their mother)
6. BEST FILM ON ENVIRONMENT CONSERVATION/PRESERVATION
Bettada Jeeva (Kannada) – Producer: Basantkumar Patil. Director : P. Sheshadri
(An old couple steeped in the soil of their environment yearn for the return of their son while nurturing the growth of their young plantation against all odds)
7. BEST CHILDREN’S FILM
Hejjegalu (Kannada) – Producer: Basantkumar Patil. Director : P.R. Ramadas Naidu
(A little girl cheerfully takes on the challenge to preserve the fabric of her family)
8. BEST DIRECTION
Aadukalam (Tamil) – Vetrimaran
(For a gritty tale of love, jealousy and betrayal in the midst of bloodsport and violence, in the manner of realistic cinema)
9. BEST ACTOR
Aadukalam (Tamil) – Dhanush
Adaminte Makan Abu (Malayalam) – Salim Kumar
(Two riveting performances that fuse character and actor into one: To Dhanush for the raw, nuanced portrayal of a cocky young man who learns lessons about life the hard way. To Salim for a deep, restrained performance of a simple man with an unshakeable belief in his quest for salvation )
10. BEST ACTRESS
Baboo Band Baaja (Marathi) – Mitalee Jagtap Varadkar
Thenmerkku Paruvakkatru (Tamil) – Saranya Ponvannan
(The picture of two mothers whose concern for bettering the lives of their children in the face of untold hardship: As a mother who strives to realise through her son her dreams of a better future. As a fiercely combative single mother who shields her son to the point of sacrifice.)
11. BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Mynaa (Tamil) – J. Thambi Ramaiah
(For a heart-warming performance as a policeman who discovers his humanity in the process of capturing an escaped fugitive.)
12. BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Namma Gramam (Tamil) – Sukumari
(For a sensitive portrayal of an aged widow who challenges orthodoxy when restrictions are placed upon her widowed granddaughter)
13. BEST CHILD ARTIST
I am Kalam (Hindi) – Harsh Mayar
Champions (Marathi) – Shantanu Ranganekar & Machindra Gadkar
Baboo Band Baaja (Marathi) – Vivek Chabukswar
(Four actors for expressing with charm and heartbreak the world of the child: For performing with bright, shining eyes and an urchin smile, the razor sharp spirit of a survivor who dreams of excelling. For two brothers bonded by blood and responsibility battling for survival in the underbelly of a heartless city. For capturing the indomitable spirit of a young village boy who is hungry to learn in an environment that closes all doors on him.
14. BEST MALE PLAYBACK SINGER
Mee Sindhutai Sapkal (Marathi) – Suresh Wadkar
(For rendering soulful lyrics in a resonant voice soaked in emotion with a purity of musical expression and spiritual empathy)
15. BEST FEMALE PLAYBACK SINGER
Ishqiya (Hindi) – Rekha Bhardwaj
(For a sensual and evocative rendering of a heart longing for the beloved.)
16. BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Adaminte Makan Abu (Malayalam) – Madhu Ambat
(For the visual poetry that augments and reinforces the concern of the narrative and for unfolding the infinite vistas of nascent digital technology in the visual medium.)
17. BEST SCREENPLAY
Original : Aadukalam (Tamil) – Vetrimaran
Adapted : Mee Sindhutai Sapkal (Marathi) – Anant Mahadevan & Sanjay Pawar
Dialogues : Mee Sindhutai Sapkal (Marathi) – Sanjay Pawar
(For its kaleidoscopic variety that uses realism, tradition and contemporaneity, soaked in local flavour on an infinite canvas.
For retaining the concerns and values of a biographical account while translating it into the cinematic medium and honouring the essence of the original.
For bringing to life the textures of various characters through articulating their emotion and thought process.)
18. BEST AUDIOGRAPHY
Ishqiya (Hindi) : Location Sound Recordist : Kaamod Kharade
Chitrasutram (Malayalam) : Sound Designer : Subhadeep Sengupta
Ishqiya : Re-recordist of the final mixed track : Debajit Changmai
(For capturing the soft nuances and variations of the artists’ voices and location ambience in a sensorial manner.
For the use of various sound effects along with existing ambience to impart a subliminal experience in this abstract work.
For merging voices, location ambience, background music and other sound effects to create a near-tactile experience that is both real and artistic. )
19. BEST EDITING
Aadukalam (Tamil) – T.E. Kishore
(For the subliminal impact created by the use of montage so as to bring to the fore thematic concerns of the narrative in a holistic manner)
20. BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Enthiran (Tamil) – Sabu Cyril
(For the style and finesse realised in the creation of a set design that is coherent with the futuristic visual style of the narrative.)
21. BEST COSTUME DESIGNER
Namma Gramam (Tamil) – Indrans Jayan
(For realising effectively the texture of a period in the history of modern India through miniscule attention to detailing)
22. BEST MAKE-UP ARTIST
Moner Manush(Bengali) – Vikram Gaikwad
(For the admirable detailing and remarkable consistency achieved in the etching of the characters across an extensive time span.)
23. BEST MUSIC DIRECTION
Ishqiya – Music Director (Songs) : Vishal Bhardwaj
Adaminte Makan Abu (Malayalam) – Music Director (Background Score) : Issak Thomas Kottakapally
(For blending rustic flavour with the Indian classical tradition.
For minimalistic use of appropriate background score to nurture the essence of the narrative.)
24. BEST LYRICS
Thenmerkku Paruvakkatru (Tamil) – Vairamuthu
(For giving a meaningful expression to the narrative through contextual amplification of the emotion)
25. SPECIAL JURY AWARD
Mee Sindhutai Sapkal (Marathi) – Producer: Bindiya & Sachin Khanolkar. Director : Anant Narayan Mahadevan
(For a powerful cinematic presentation of an epic journey of a living character, an abandoned woman who refused to become a victim and in the process not only transformed her own life but also the lives of many others)
26. BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS
Enthiran (Tamil) – V. Srinivas M Mohan
(For bringing of age a spectrum of visual special effects in Indian cinema and creating a space for the practitioners of this art form on the global map.)
27. BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
Aadukalam (Tamil) – Dinesh Kumar
(For the native charm and innovative design in the art of choreography that creates an effervescent energy in the spectator)
28. BEST FEATURE FILM IN EACH OF THE LANGUAGE SPECIFIED IN THE SCHEDULE VIII OF THE CONSTITUTION
BEST ASSAMESE FILM – Jetuka Patar Dare
BEST BENGALI FILM – Ami Aadu
BEST HINDI FILM – Do Dooni Char
BEST KANNADA – Puttakkana Highway
BEST MALAYALAM FILM – Veettilekkulla Vazhi
BEST MARATHI FILM – Mala Aai Vhhaychay
BEST TAMIL FILM – Thenmerkku Paruvakkatru
BEST ENGLISH FILM – Memories in March
SPECIAL MENTION – Bettada Jeeva (Kannada), Aadukalam (Tamil)
58th NATIONAL FILM AWARDS FOR 2010 – NON- FEATURE FILMS
1. BEST NON-FEATURE FILM – Germ (Hindi). Director : Snehal R. Nair
2. BEST DEBUT NON-FEATURE FILM OF A DIRECTOR – Pistulya (Marathi & Telugu). Producer: Nagraj Manjule. Director : Nagraj Manjule
3. BEST ETHNOGRAPHIC FILM – Songs of Mashangva
4. BEST BIOGRAPHICAL FILM – Nilamadhaba
5. BEST ARTS and CULTURE FILM – Leaving Home (English & Hindi)
6. BEST SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY FILM – Heart to Heart (Manipuri & English)
7. BEST PROMOTIONAL FILM – Ek Ropa Dhan (Hindi)
8. BEST ENVIRONMENT FILM – Iron is Hot (English)
9. BEST FILM ON SOCIAL ISSUES – Understanding Trafficking (Bengali, Hindi & English)
10. BEST EDUCATIONAL FILM – Advaitham (Telugu)
11. BEST FILM ON SPORTS – Boxing Ladies (Hindi)
12. BEST INVESTIGATIVE FILM – A Pestering Journey (Malayalam, Punjabi, Hindi, English & Tulu)
13. SPECIAL JURY AWARD – Kabira Khada Bazaar Mein (Hindi)
14. SHORT FICTION FILM – Kal 15 August Dukan Band Rahegi (Hindi)
15. BEST FILM ON FAMILY VALUES – Love in India (Bengali & English)
16. BEST DIRECTION – Shyam Raat Seher (Hindi & Engish). Director : Arunima Sharma
17. BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY – Shyam Raat Seher (Hindi & English). Cameraman: Murali G.
18. BEST AUDIOGRAPHY – A Pestering Journey (Malayalam, Punjabi, Hindi English & Tulu). Re-recordist (final mixed track) : Harikumar Madhavan Nair
19. BEST EDITING – Germ (Hindi). Editor : Tinni Mitra
20. BEST NARRATION (for Writing the Narration) – Johar : Welcome to Our World (Hindi & English) Nilanjan Bhattacharya
21. Special Mention : a. Ottayal (One Woman Alone) ( Malayalam) – Director: Shiny Jacob Benjamin b. The Zeliangrongs (Manipuri & English) – Director : Ronel Haobam c. Pistulya (Marathi & Telugu) – Child Artist: Suraj Pawar
58th NATIONAL FILM AWARDS FOR THE YEAR 2010 – BEST WRITING ON CINEMA
1. BEST BOOK ON CINEMA
From Rajahs and Yogis to Gandhi and Beyond: Images of India in International Films of the Twentieth Century (English)
Publisher : Seagull Books Author: Vijaya Mulay
2. SPECIAL MENTION
1. Cinema Bhojpuri (English)
Publisher : Penguin Books India Ltd. Author : Avijit Ghosh
2. Thiraicheelai (Tamil)
Publisher : Trisakti Sundar Raman. Author : Oviyar Jeeva
3. BEST FILM CRITIC
Joshy Joseph (English) and N. Manu Chakravarthy (Kannada & English).