By Aman Basha
Calling it an attempt to provoke
2022 was a good year for film per me.Sure there are those who are worried about the dip in success rates for theatrical releases, the seeming audience disinterest in genres and such, but to them I have only one retort and it starts with a K, Kantara. If a film like that can become such a massive blockbuster, it means that the audience has become both selective and open in different ways, breaking many trends and notions which I welcome.
Yet there were some events recently that annoyed me in how out of touch and outdated they were. These are the great enemy of quality cinema in India: award shows. I don’t need to elaborate on how much of a total joke award shows in India are, but check the Zee Awards and Dada Saheb Phalke Academy this year for some good laughs.
Sadly, even the National Awards are declining in quality. This blight has struck since giving the ridiculous Maharshi a National Award and the citation which is more entertaining than anything in that drab movie. Seriously, if Tashkent Files had won, it would at least make sense, but this? When more people in AP voted for NOTA than BJP, why this appeasement? And for this appalling attempt to score social message brownie points? Don’t get me started about Marakkar.
So I have decided to kick off this mini award ceremony by taking the most erudite, argumentative and varied readership of Indian cinema today: the blog readers here. That too and there’s no fun since some had a meltdown over Pathaan (which made 1050 crores btw, 1050!), the films of the past year can be re litigated and argued over again (I’m looking at you, Vikram and KGF2).
So, this will be a pan India award, with 5 nominations (where I name 4 and the 5th can be supplied by the voters) and the winner being chosen through popular vote. You dear voter shall be judge, jury, executioner and use this great power with great responsibility.
The Google Form is linked here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfH4u6NwAXfERyWPzhIOqpi7inAJBDkh8w1oVEUswNxDX4ABA/viewform
The Categories and their nominees are:
- Best Indian Film of 2022
- RRR
- Kantara
- Jana Gana Mana
- Gargi
- (For public choice)
2. Best Male Actor 2022
- Mammootty (Puzhu, Bheeshma Parvam, Rorschach)
- Dulquer Salmaan (Sita Ramam, Salute, Chup)
- Fahadh Faasil (Vikram, Malayankunju)
- Rishab Shetty (Kantara)
- (For public choice)
3. Best Female Actor 2022
- Sai Pallavi (Gargi, Virata Parvam)
- Alia Bhatt (Gangubai Kathiawadi, Darlings)
- Revathy (Bhoothakalam)
- Keerthy Suresh (Saani Kaayidham, Sarkaru Vaari Paata)
- (For public choice)
4. Best Male Supporting Actor 2022
- Rakshit Shetty (777 Charlie)
- Suraj Venjamoodu (Jana Gana Mana, Mukundan Unni)
- Vennela Kishore (every Telugu movie this year)
- Prakash Raj (Thiruchitrambalam, Major, KGF 2)
- (For public choice)
5. Best Female Supporting Actor 2022
- Rohini (Ante Sundaraniki, Witness, Virata Parvam)
- Shefali Shah (Darlings, Jalsa)
- Bindu Panicker (Rorschach)
- Sheeba Chedda (Badhaai Do, Doctor G)
- (For public choice)
6. Best Editing
- KGF Chapter 2
- Ante Sundaraniki
- Thallumalla
- Love Today
- (For public choice)
7. Best Music Director
- AR Rahman (Malayankunju, PS1, VTK)
- Hesham Abdul Wahab (Hridayam)
- Anirudh Ravichander (Vikram, Thiruchitrambalam, Beast)
- Sanjay Leela Bhansali (Gangubai Kathiawadi)
- (For public choice)
8. Best Director
- SS Rajamouli (RRR)
- Prashanth Neel (KGF Chapter II)
- Vineeth Srinivasan (Hridayam)
- M Manikandan (Kadaisi Vivasayi)
- (For public choice)
9. Ardeshir Irani Lifetime Achievement Award to : Waheeda Rehman.
This is an actress who worked with everyone from ANR to Amitabh, collaborated with directors Satyajit Ray to Vijay Anand to Guru Dutt to Yash Chopra, one of the greatest dancers and actresses of our time. She doesn’t have a Dadasaheb Phalke! What the fuck?
Comments
I have tried to balance all industries and the notable films of the year which made things difficult especially when it comes to Malayalam, where I had to drop the lovely Kalyani Priyadarshan and Darshana Rajendran (the latter I suspect will make a comeback as the fifth nominee). In Male Actor, I would have loved Rajkummar Rao and Vikram (for Mahaan). It was a tough choice between Rakshit Shetty in 777 Charlie and Anupam Kher in the Kashmir Files. Sita Ramam could get a best actress and music spot and I’m not going to do writing, because it’ll be me choosing through Malayalam movies and breaking my mind.
My controversial choices are probably going to be Vennela Kishore and Prakash Raj, the former I think is the best comedian in business (Yogi Babu is fat shamed in the name of humor) and while Kaali Venkat is an obvious choice, I wanted less of Gargi and originally wanted to put Jaffer Sadiq (got great potential) but played safe and wanted to fit in Thiruchitrambalam and Major.
With actors, balancing Tamil, Telugu and Hindi made me take the creative choice of overloading the Malayalam actors as they gave some good performances across industries this year.
This would end up being fun, but let me point people to the recently established Film Critics Guild’s Critics Choice Awards that seem so far to be throwing up interesting choices and being free of the nonsense affecting other awards. It also has a certain Baradwaj Rangan as part of the jury.
http://filmcriticsguild.com/
I would also suggest the CCA to start something like the AFI Lifetime Achievement Gala Dinner, which is one of the more enjoyable award shows Hollywood does, where the awardee is honored by the rest of his industry in a big party.
So far in Hindi, the big stars have begun avoiding these award shows on a large scale after SRK before which exceptions like Aamir existed. Perhaps the public should give credence to respectable awards like the CCAs and the industry follow suit? One can only hope. Until then, vote!
PS: Voting closes by March 11. We are announcing winners along with the Oscars.