Priyanka Chopra has bagged her second National Film Award for her film Paani, produced by her mother Madhu Chopra and herself, and directed by debutant filmmaker Adinath Kothare. The film, which is based on the water scarcity problem in Maharashtra’s Nagdarwadi, bagged the award for Best Feature Film on Environment Conservation at the National Film Awards.
“When we started Purple Pebble Pictures, it was with the clear intent to produce stories of substance. We wanted to tell local stories that, along with entertaining people, also had a purpose and tackled the pressing issues we face today. Paani was one such film, one that I knew instantly that I wanted to make. Even though Adinath was making his directorial debut with it, I knew he would be a force to reckon with. And now, here we are with a National Award for our labour of love. I am proud of Adinath and his creative team. It has given us further impetus to continue on the path of telling stories that combine entertainment with socially relevant stories. We are so honoured that the film had an impact and that our efforts have been recognised,” says Priyanka about her award win.
The actress has previously won the Best Actress award for her role in Madhur Bhandarkar’s Fashion. Priyanka’s earlier Marathi film Ventilator also bagged three awards a couple of years ago for Best Director — Rajesh Mapuskar; Best Editing — Rameshwar Bhagat; and Best Sound Mixing — Alok De.
