The annual awards night of the 2019 Indian Film Festival of Melbourne drew to a close with filmmakers Zoya Akhtar and Rima Das walking away with top honours at the gala. Akhtar's Gully Boy was declared Best Film, while Das' Assamese Language Bulbul Can Sing was named Best Indie film.
“I am so excited. I am not going to forget this evening. This is my first award in the capacity of a producer. Gully boy was our first production. This is a good start. No one makes a movie alone and this wouldn’t be possible without my producers, my co-writer, my incredible actors and every member of my cast and crew. 54 invincible artists worked on this album. I owe this night to all of them," Zoya said on bagging the honour.
Best actress award went to Tabu for her terrific performance in AndhaDhun, in which she played Simi, a cheating wife of a has-been star. Though she was AndhaDhun’s primary antagonist, it was almost difficult to hate her.
“It’s my first time in Australia but I will remember it for the rest of my life. Thank you Sriram for writing this for me. This character is catalyst for change of roles for women that are being written and will be written in future. Thank you for trusting me with this character," Tabu said while receiving her award.
Vijay Sethupathi accepted the trophy for Best Actor for his role of a transgender in Super Deluxe. Sriram Raghavan earned Best Director award for AndhaDhun, which received much appreciation and love from the audience upon its release.
“I am thankful and overwhelmed with the response to AndhaDhun and this award. A French short film inspired this movie. It was 7 years ago and the movie took a long time to make," Raghavan said.
Shah Rukh Khan was felicitated with the Excellence in Cinema award. The actor was presented the honour by Linda Dessau, the Governor of Victoria.
"It’s an honour and privilege for me. Awards are odd because to me an art form be judged for its quality feels counter intuitive... I realised that film changed my life. It’s not the awards you get, it’s just the part of creating process that is an exhilarating experience for an artiste,” SRK said.
Here’s a complete list of winners:
IFFM Best Short Film: MY NAME IS MOHAMED AND RAGHAD, WE DON’T EXIST HERE ANYMORE by Ali Mousawi; BE MY BROTHER by Genevieve Clay
IFFM Diversity Award: Onir
Telstra People’s Choice Award: Simmba
IFFM Best Director : Sriram Raghavan for ANDHADHUN
IFFM Best Actor : Vijay Sethupathi for SUPER DELUXE
IFFM Best Actress : Tabu for ANDHADHUN
IFFM Best Indie film : BULBUL CAN SING
IFFM Best Film: GULLY BOY
PWC Equality in Cinema award (an honorary award): CHUSKIT; SUPER DELUXE
IFFM Excellence in Cinema: Shah Rukh Khan
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