Keerthy best actress, KGF fight wins award for Anbariv

Keerthy Suresh won the best actress award for Mahanati (Nadigaiyar Thilagam in Tamil), for playing actress Savitri in her biopic. Talking to DT Next, Keerthy said, “I’m elated on winning the award. I never realised that I would be a recipient of such an honour when I played the role. I am now at home and spending quality time with my parents. They are overjoyed.” Last year during an interaction, Keerthy had said that her mother, actress Menaka Suresh, had missed out on a National award during her heydays by a close margin. “I was a kid then and I remember she was visibly disappointed on missing out on the award. That day, I had promised to win a National award for her. It has come true today,” she said.

Yash’s KGF-Chapter 1 won the best action film of the year. Talking to DT Next, action choreographers of the film, Anbariv said, “This is certainly a dream-come-true moment for us. The stunt department is the least-recognised team in a film. Such awards will only motivate us to do better. This will also motivate others from various industries to deliver their best and the quality of stunt scenes in Indian cinema will only get better from now on.”

Baaram, directed by Priya Krishnaswamy, was awarded Best film in Tamil in the Regional Films category. Audience, film personalities and critics took to social media, saying, despite some good films being released last year, the jury was biased in not nominating movies like 96, Ratchasan and Pariyerum Perumal under the main categories. Padman won in the Best film on Social Issues category. Bollywood stars Ayushmann Khurrana and Vicky Kaushal on Friday won the National Film Award for best actor for their roles in Andhadhun and Uri. Aditya Dhar won the Best Director award for his debut Uri: The Surgical Strike while Andhadhun also won awards for best Hindi film and best adapted screenplay. Rahul Ravindran won the National Award under the Best Screenplay category for Telugu film Chi La Sow.