National Film Award winners Srijit Mukherji, Bauddhayan Mukherji bask in recognition

Srijit Mukherji, who has won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali for the mystery thriller Gumnaami (2019), is over the moon. 

The project, which is based on conspiracy theories surrounding the death of freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, fetched the filmmaker his second consecutive National award.

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Mukherji is especially elated about also winning the Best Adapted Screenplay Award, as he faced the formidable task of condensing and dramatizing vast amounts of information about Bose. “The recognition for the best-adapted screenplay is extra special as there was an ocean of information,” he said.

The director's fellow Bengali filmmakers, as well as technicians and artistes, who won big at the National Film Awards are also savouring their success.

Filmmaker, actor and screenwriter Kaushik Ganguly was delighted to receive the National Film Award for Best Original Screenplay for the drama Jyeshthoputro (2019) starring Prosenjit Chatterjee and Ritwick Chakraborty.

The family drama also fetched music director Prabuddha Banerjee the Best Background Score Award.

Banerjee said that receiving recognition at the national level was a truly rewarding experience and that the award would inspire him to maintain the quality of his work. “No one works keeping in mind awards but one should also not give cause for negative evaluation,” said Banerjee, who is currently busy with Soumitra Chatterjee’s biopic Abhijaan (2021).

Noted ad filmmaker Bauddhayan Mukherji, who won the Best Promotional Film Award for The Shower, which starkly highlights the issue of water scarcity in rural India, said that winning his first National award felt nice. “It feels great to receive the news while staying in Kolkata, as having the three most important women in my life — my mother, my daughter and my sister — around made the feeling even more special,” he said.

For the director, the award was especially significant because it was announced on World Water Day. "I feel the award will inspire more directors, writers and clients to work on films and campaigns on social issues," he said.

Sudhanshu Saria, who bagged the National Film Award for Best Non-Feature Film Direction for the short Knock Knock Knock, featuring Shantilal Mukherjee and Phuden Sherpa, is happy that his dream to make a film set in his hometown, Darjeeling, has been realized.

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“It’s always surreal when something so personal, so idiosyncratic and honest even gets made. So, the fact that this film got funded, got made and found its way to the biggest festivals and now the National awards? It’s just astounding!” he said.

The director added, “It’s a win for the entire team and a huge call to filmmakers to go film their truths, be local, be specific and not to worry about what anyone expects you to do.”