Winning director not invited for award function

Anant Mahadevan is in a state of shock. Rather it is an insult, which will take a long time for the actor/director to get over.
The reason despite winning the Best Director Award for his Marathi film Mee Sindhutai Sapkal (2010), Anant was not invited to the Maharashtra State Awards held at The Gateway Of India on April 30.
A source told us, “This is just not done. How can you not invite the winner? If the winners are not supposed to attend, then whom does the invite list comprise of? Think about this, Mee Sindhutai Sapkal was also conferred as the Best Film in that function.“
When contacted, a disappointed Mahadevan said, “I hope it’s not because I am not a Maharashtrian! I still remember after seeing Mee Sindhutai Sapkal Om Puri told me, that he couldn’t believe that I being a Malayali made this Marathi film.”
Anant further vent his anger, “I think it’s a goof up. Let’s say bad organisation. But I am very sad. I had even prepared a speech in Marathi. Agar jeetunga toh I will go up on stage and surprise them, that’s what I had planned.
I felt embarrassed when many of the actors and directors who were at the award function called up and asked why I wasn’t present to collect the award.
It was a proud moment that I missed, considering that the State Awards are next to National awards.” Adding to his embarrassment was the fact that his producer Sachin Khanolkar got a single pass.
Anant still has some reason to smile though. Sachin Khanolkar and his wife Bindiya are producing his next film, Cotton Country, which is inspired from a Mumbai Mirror story (dated June 22, 2008).
The article was about freedom fighter, Hari Gour Das, who had fought for four years for our country’s freedom. But, it took him 30 years to get a freedom fighters certificate.