THE NATIONAL AWARD WINNERS FROM KARNATAKA

Best Kannada Film: Hebbettu Ramakka
Director: NR Nanjunde Gowda
“I wanted to make a film on women, especially on the representation of women in politics, for a long time. There has been a lot of talk on reservation for women in
politics and Hebbettu Ramakka is about what happens when a rural woman is pushed into politics by her husband, who takes advantage of the reservation to make money by sinister means and misuses his wife’s position.When all this is brought out in the open, the woman (played by Thara) gets blamed. What follows is how she stands up to her husband and society at large. Thara and Devaraj’s performances have made the film what it is.”
Best Lyrics: Muthu Ratnada Pyate
Lyricist: JM Prahlad
“I got my first State Award for Best Lyrics for a song with a philosophical touch, called Yentha Maayavo. When I was writing Muthu Ratnada Pyate from March 22, I had the same feeling I had back then, as the song transpires in a village that has been shaken by a series of events. While the National Award is a pleasant surprise, what overwhelmed me was the final product. Once it was set to tune by Manikanth Kadri, sung by Kailash Kher and picturised on BR Shetty, along with the rest of the cast of the film, the response to the song online has been among the best my songs have received to date.”
Best Tulu film: Paddayi
Director: Abhaya Simha
“Many of my friends belong to the local fishing community and their ways and customs fascinated me. I felt there couldn’t be a better canvas to put up my story and shot Paddayi, which is based on Macbeth, in Mangaluru. The actors underwent training and Lady Macbeth even went to sell fish for a week with the fisherfolk to grasp the nuances. When the scene of Lady Macbeth seeing blood on her hands for the first time was shot, I knew that I had made a decent film. The cast and crew was stunned by Bindu Raxidi’s (the artiste who plays Lady Macbeth) performance that day. Of course, I didn’t expect the National Award. This feels good.”