Asian Academy Creative Awards: Mirzapur (Season 2), Konkona Sensharma, Amruta Subhash walk away with the big prizes

Amazon Prime Video's Mirzapur (Season 2) walked away with the big prize of Best Original Programme at the 2021 Asian Academy Creative Awards held in Singapore over 2 and 3 December 2021.

The web-series was among the 38 winners announced at the annual awards function.

Created by Karan Anshuman, Puneet Krishna and Vineet Krishna, the series won the award for Best Original Programme by a streamer/OTT.

Streamed on Amazon Prime Video last year, the second season of the web-series features an ensemble cast led by Ali Fazal, Pankaj Tripathi, Rasika Dugal and Vijay Varma.

"At Prime Video, we are constantly working towards offering our viewers compelling content across genres, categories, languages and formats that entertains, inspires and provokes,” said Aparna Purohit, head of India Originals at Amazon Prime Video India.

“Our programming reflects the diverse voices of our customers and provides a global showcase for stories that are deeply rooted in local culture, making them more authentic, engaging and immersive for viewers across the world," she continued.

"As we complete five years in India, our win at the prestigious Asian Academy Creative Awards is validation that our relentless efforts to find and give a platform to the best stories, storytellers and talent is working," Purohit added. "I would especially like to mention actor Brahma Mishra, who essayed the role of Lalit in the series and met with a tragic demise this week. This award is a tribute to him and the hard work put in by him and his co-actors and technicians in making the series what it is today.”

Writer Puneet Krishna also dedicated the award to the late actor, saying, "It is a huge moment for every technician and talent from Mirzapur, a series that has become a household name.

"The show’s authenticity and relatability make it a unique and interesting series, one that engages the audience at a deeper level. A heartfelt thanks to every actor and every person working extremely hard behind the camera to make Mirzapur a memorable viewing experience for the audiences.

"Thank you, Asian Academy Creative Awards, for recognizing our efforts. We would like to dedicate this award to Brahma Mishra, one of the most talented actors that we have worked with, and only wish he was here to share this moment with us.”

Konkona Sensharma walked away with the award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in Neeraj Ghaywan's short Geeli Pucchi in the Netflix anthology Ajeeb Daastaans (2021). Produced by Dharmatic Entertainment, the short also featured Aditi Rao Hydari in a key role.

Sensharma said, "Trying to understand Bharati Mondol’s identity made me grow as a person and I am so grateful to my director Neeraj Ghaywan for this. The character is so nuanced and layered conveying so many emotions in the span of a short film.”

Netflix and Dharmatic also collected the award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role which was presented to Amruta Subhash for her performance in Bombay Begums. 

The actress expressed her gratitude to bar dancer Reshma Apa, who helped her with the character. Amruta said, “It is so encouraging to see a host of woman-led content taking centre stage today. Bombay Begums was a series that rested entirely on the shoulders of these powerful women as they led from the front. It is a beautiful, nuanced story with layered characters played by female leads driving the entire storyline, something unheard of in the past.

"Taking on the role of Lily wasn’t an easy task, it was challenging to portray ambition, power, greed and humanity, all in one character," she continued. "The role entailed a lot of hard work, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. To be awarded for my performance and hard work fills me with great joy. I dedicate this award to Reshma Apa, the actual bar dancer who was kind enough to open the doors of her soul for me and give me the soul of Lily."

The Best Actor award went to Lee Je-Hoon for his performance in the Netflix Korean drama, Move To Heaven, while another Korean actor, Lee Do-Hyun won the Best Actor in a Supporting Role award for the Netflix drama, Sweet Home.

Netflix walked away with major prizes, with two more coming for an Indian original. Writer Umesh Bist won the Best Original Screenplay award for Pagglait (2021). The film also won the Best Sound award.

Writer-director Bist said, “The story came from my deep lived experiences and I was blessed to get a talented cast and crew which executed it honestly. I feel humbled and delighted to win the Best Original Screenplay for Pagglait at AACA and would like to thank the Asian Academy Creative Awards and the esteemed jury. Also, I am thankful to all those who believed in and supported me along the journey.”

Sound editor Anthony Ruban also shared his gratitude: “I am really happy that the sweet simple sounds of Pagglait have won international acclaim and recognition on a global stage.

"Pagglait is a special film, it is a human story, and my goal while sound-editing for it was to convey the emotions in the most humane manner possible. I am grateful that I got this prestigious award and would like to share it with the entire team of Pagglait. Special thanks to Umesh Bist, Guneet Monga, Achin Jain, Boloy, Sikhya Entertainment, Balaji Telefilms and the team at Netflix for taking these sounds to the world.”

In 2018, the Emmy award-winning Delhi Crime (2019) had won the award for Best Original Series at this event.