National Film Awards 2018: Janhvi, Khushi received Sridevi's Best Actress Award from the President
Highlights
- 80 winners of National Film Awards had said they will skip ceremony
- President Ram Nath Kovind presented only 11 awards
- Union minister Smriti Irani presented rest of the awards
The National Film Awards were handed out on Thursday at a ceremony in Delhi that was shadowed by anger among scores of winners about not receiving the honour from the President, a first in 64 years.
Nearly 50 winners skipped the ceremony after learning on Wednesday that only 11 awards will be presented by President Ram Nath Kovind. In a break from tradition, Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani and her junior minister Rajyavardhan Rathore presented most of the awards. They said they had spoken to Smriti Irani but hadn't heard back, so "... we are left with no option but to be absent" for the ceremony.
"...at the end of the day we feel dejected rather than honoured for our work," the artistes said in an impassioned letter addressed to the President and the government.
The President's office expressed surprise at the "11th hour protest", saying it was known that Mr Kovind attends all award functions for not more than an hour. "This has been the protocol since he took office. It was conveyed to Information and Broadcasting Ministry several weeks ago and the ministry knew this all along," said Ashok Malik, press secretary to the president.
The 65th National Awards presented by President Ram Nath Kovind at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi
The 11 chosen for the President's segment included actors Vinod Khanna and Sridevi, who have been honoured posthumously, and Oscar winning composer AR Rahman. Sridevi's husband and two daughters went to the stage and received the award from the President, in one of the most moving moments of the ceremony.
Praveen Morchhale, a filmmaker who did not accept the award, told reporters: "We have been discriminated against. They have divided us into classes."
Many winners showed up despite their protest and received their award from the ministers.
Among them was "Newton" producer Manish Mundra, the winner of best Hindi film, who had tweeted: "The whole inherent and intrinsic value of #NationalFilmAwards is due to the fact that it's being given away by (the President). Otherwise it's just one amongst the other many film awards mushrooming across the country! #NationalFilmAwards."