In a year when nepotism was debated widely with Kangana Ranaut attacking Hindi cinema’s bigwigs, one would have expected the awards to honour the best on merit. However, the nominations for the 63rd Jio Filmfare awards 2018 announced yesterday (18 January) tell a different story.
The list has just pointed towards the dubious nature of the popular awards as it failed to nominate Rajkummar Rao in the Best Actor category.
Rajkummar Rao had an outstanding 2017 with stellar performances in films like Bareilly Ki Barfi, Newton and Trapped, but Filmfare has nominated him in the Best Supporting Actor category for Bareilly Ki Barfi.
What took one by surprise was the addition of Varun Dhawan's name in the Best Actor nominations. Though he performed well in Badrinath Ki Dulhania, it cannot be said that he deserves the trophy more than Rajkummar Rao.
Akshay Kumar, who was ignored last year, has been nominated for Toilet: Ek Prem Katha in the Best Actor category. Other actors nominated in the category are Shah Rukh Khan for Raees, Hrithik Roshan for Kaabil, Irrfan Khan for Hindi Medium, and Ayushmann Khurrana for Shubh Mangal Saavdhan.
Rajkummar Rao’s exclusion from the list has drawn criticism on social media. Here are some extreme reactions from Tweeple.
So, if the box office is not a criterion, then what wrong did films like Lipstick Under My Burkha, Newton and Trapped do? These films were critically acclaimed and some of them were appreciated by audiences as well, though they did not generate huge numbers at the box office as they had only limited release. Newton in particular was India’s official entry to the Oscars and the snub by Filmfare is hard to understand.
One cannot blindly say that those nominated don’t deserve to be there, but the absence of certain names from the list does raise questions over the credibility of the awards.
Cinestaan.com had its own lists of the Best of 2017:
Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Film
What do you think of our picks vis-a-vis Filmfare's? Let us know in the comments section below!