Big B, other cinema stars to receive National Awards today

Highlights

• Veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan and a host of other Bollywood as well as regional cinema stars would receive National Film Awards from President Pratibha Patil today.
• Except noted musician Illyaraja, who bagged the award for his background score in the movie Pazhassi Raja, and Ranjan Palit, who has been awarded for the best voiceover, all others would be present to collect the awards, Director, Directorate of Film Festivals, S M Khan told PTI.
• "We had written letters to all the awardees asking them to be present in person to receive the awards and most of them have confirmed their participation," he said.
• While Bachchan won the best actor award for his performance in Paa, Aamir Khan-starrer 3 Idiots was adjudged the best popular movie.
• But it was Malayalam drama Kutty Srank which walked away with five awards, including the best feature film.
• Kutty Srank, with Mammoothy in the lead, also won awards for best cinematography, best screenplay, best costume and a special jury recognition which it shared with Bollywood hit Kaminey and Malayalam film Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja.
• Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's Delhi 6, shot in the bylanes of Old Delhi, bagged the Nargis Dutt award for best feature film on national integration while Shyam Benegal's Well Done Abba was chosen as the best film on social issues.
• R Balki's Paa was also named the best Hindi film, besides winning recognition in the best supporting actress category (Arundhuti Nag) and best make-up (Christein Tinsley and Dominie Till).
• Amit Trivedi got the best music director award for Anurag Kashyap's Dev-D, a modern take on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's classic Devdas.
• The emotional number 'Behti hawa sa tha woh' from 3 Idiots bagged the best lyrics award for Swanand Kirkere.
• Ananya Chatterjee was named the best actress for her role in the Bengali film Abohoman which also fetched the best direction award for Rituparno Ghosh and best editing for Arghyakamal Mitra, besides being adjudged the best Bengali movie.
• Farooq Sheikh was named the best supporting actor for his role in Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan's Lahore which also won the 'Indira Gandhi Award for best debut film.
• Rupam Islam was chosen as the best male playback singer for his rendering of 'Kolakata' in the Bengali film Mahanagar while the best female playback was awarded to Nilanjana Sarkar for another Bengali movie Houseful.
• While producer Reliance Big Picture and Director Shaji N Karun of Kutty Srank will get the Swarna Kamal and Rs 2,50,000 each, the producer and director of 3 Idiots -- Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Raj Kumar Hirani -- would get the Swarna Kamal and Rs 2,00,000 each.
• Bachchan would get a Rajat Kamal and Rs 50,000.