Actor-filmmaker Satish Kaushik, who headed the jury for the 63rd National Awards, says this was one of the best years in the life of Indian cinema so far.
“There were so many outstanding films from all across the country in different languages. For example, we had a tough time choosing one best Marathi film. Finally, we chose Makarand Mane’s Ringan.” But it was Bollywood that dominated this year’s awards.
“Why not? The jury is being questioned for giving prominence to Hindi cinema, but the National awards are supposed to honour excellence, not regionalism. This time, Hindi films were truly at the peak of creativity. This has been one of the best years for Hindi cinema.”
Kaushik admits it was tough deciding the best director between Sanjay Leela Bhansali and S.S. Rajamouli. “It was a tough call. Baahubali and Bajirao Mastani were neck to neck. But we felt Bhansali had an edge; his end-product was superior to Rajamouli's film.
Baahubali is no doubt an epic achievement; it’s the first Indian film to put our cinema on a par with Hollywood. But we felt that in terms of detailing, drawing out etched performances from each actor and the sheer breadth of the images and motions, Bajirao Mastani had the upper hand.”
