The bong connection at 60th National Film Awards

With awards in key categories, Bengalis made a difference at the 60th National Film Awards announced on Monday
We spotted the first signs a year back, when Kahaani released. On Monday, Bengalis ��� and not necessarily Bengal ��� asserted their supremacy in national cinema by bagging some of the key honours at the 60th National Film Awards.
Shoojit Sircar���s Vicky Donor topped the list with three awards ��� Best Supporting Actor and Actress award for AnnuKapoor and Dolly Ahluwalia respectively and in the Best Film in Wholesome Entertainment category. SujoyGhosh���sKahaani bagged two, for Best Editing and Best Original Screenplay. Bedabrata Pain was chosen the Best Debutant Director for his Chittagong.
Sujoy, who was in Mumbai, said awards make a big difference. ���I might think my screenplay is the best, but an award does what it can do ��� recognize the effort,��� he said, adding that there are no plans for celebrations yet. ���It���s family time. My friends and family are very excited. My mother is ecstatic.��� Shoojit was over the moon as well. ���I broke into a sperm dance! Jokes apart, the feeling has not sunk in. John (Abraham) called up ��� he too doesn���t know how to react,��� he laughed.
Tollywood too had its fair share of the glory. While KaushikGanguly���s Shabdo was adjudged the Best Bengali Film, AnirbanSengupta and DipankarChaki won for Best Sound Designing. The Special Jury Award went to RituparnoGhosh forChitrangada: The Crowning Wish. Sudeshna Roy, who was part of the central jury of the awards, was happy with the turn of events. She said, ���There was a time when Bengalis ruled Mumbai. We seem to be revisiting that era. Why confine ourselves to the boundaries of Bengal? Bengalis everywhere are doing a great job and the popular categories only bear testimony to that.���
Bengal shone in non-fiction as well. Sourav Sarangi���sdocuChar... The No-Man���s Island won as the Best Anthropological/ Ethnographic Film, while VasudhaJoshi���s Cancer Katha got the Special Jury Award. ���It���s surprising as I had no clue that the docu was being considered by the jury. Cancer Katha was conceived right after I was diagnosed with breast cancer. It deals with what I went through. I have used three songs by DevdasBaul in the docu,��� said a jubilant Vasudha.
What the winners had to say:
Everyone loves to receive an award and I���m no exception. I���m even more thrilled to have got the Special Jury Award for Chitrangada along with Nawazuddin Siddiqui. He���s one of the finest actors around. I���m not being generous. But trust me, this award would have meant a lot to a professional actor rather than an amateur like me. Indeed it is a major recognition for the character I play and thereby, a huge section of the population I represent whose sexuality has always been suspect. I���m happy the National Awards committee has respected this. Rituparno Ghosh, Special Jury Award for Chitrangada
This is our first prestigious award and we don���t have any words to express our feelings. In the film there is no music ��� not even a musical note. There was no background music either. The whole narrative was designed through sound effects like moments of tension or moments of happiness. The director (KaushikGanguly) gave us complete liberty to design the sound so that it gels with the story, that revolves around a sound artiste. We are sound designers ourselves, so this is like a double bonanza for us
Anirban Sengupta & DipankarChaki, Best Sound Designing for Shabdo
I am on cloud nine. Actually, I am speechless and the feeling is yet to sink in. For a creator, this is one of the most prestigious awards. My films have been nominated before, but have never won a National Award. So I was preparing myself to deal with the disappointment of not winning an award once again. But as luck would have it, I got it this time. And the best part was that I was present with my team when the award was announced. I���m happy that the film has won for Best Sound Design as this was a crucial aspect of Shabdo
Kaushik Ganguly, Best Bengali Film for Shabdo
And the winners are...
Best Film: Paan Singh Tomar Best Film in wholesome entertainment: Vicky Donor Best Actor: Irrfan for Paan Singh Tomar and Vikram Gokhale for the Marathi film Anumati Best Actress: Usha Jadhav for Marathi film Dhaag Best Supporting Actor: Annu Kapoor for Vicky Donor Best Supporting Actress: Dolly Ahluwalia for Vicky Donor Best original screenplay: Sujoy Ghosh for Kahaani Best Screenplay (adapted): OMG Oh My God! Best Male Playback Singer: Shankar Mahadevan for the song Bolo na in Chittagong Best Female Playback Singer: Samhita for the song Palakein naa moondon from the Marathi film Aarti Anklekartikekar Best Editing: Namrata Rao for Kahaani Best Debut director: Bedabrata Pain