Have you heard? Films of the year!

Gulmohar

Neena Gupta, Vishal Bhardwaj, and the team of Kantara expressed their gratitude after their movies won major honours at the 70th National Film Awards yesterday. "I've got two National Awards in the past; I'm getting another one after many years. It's a big thing for me," said Gupta, who bagged the title for Uunchaai, which also earned filmmaker Sooraj Barjatya the Best Director nod. Bhardwaj won his career's ninth National Film Award, this time for Best Music Director, for his short, Fursat, in the non-feature film category. "The only [award] that truly matters. Winning this is the greatest validation of my work," he said. Composer Pritam, who won the Best Music Director Award for Brahmastra Part 1: Shiva, thanked the jury. The film also earned Arijit Singh a nod for Best Male Playback Singer (Kesariya), and also took home a gong for its visual effects, which was done by Prime Focus Group. "I thank the entire team for this fantastic collaborative effort," said director Ayan Mukerji. AR Rahman bagged the Best Music Director (background score) title for Mani Ratnam's Ponniyin Selvan Part 1. The film also won in the sound design and cinematography sections. Rishab Shetty was celebrated with the Best Actor Award for his performance in Kantara, while the Best Actress nod was shared between Nithya Menen for Thiruchitrambalam and Manasi Parekh for Kutch Express. Gulmohar, KGF: Chapter 2, and Karthikeya 2 won the Best Film titles in Hindi, Kannada, and Telugu, respectively. Gulmohar also won the title for Best Dialogues and received a special mention from the jury for its lead actor, Manoj Bajpayee.

Celebrating India

In a fitting tribute to India's rich cultural heritage, renowned percussionist Bickram Ghosh has composed a new musical piece titled Ek desh hai. The composition celebrates the nation's history, traditions, and indomitable spirit. Ghosh revealed that the piece features performances by singing reality show participants Ashish Kulkarni, Subhadeep Chowdhury, Anjana Padmanabhan, and Ananya Pal. The lyrics, penned by Sutapa Basu, promise to delve into the soul of India.

On the web

Tamil star Dhanush's latest release, Raayan, will be available for streaming on Prime Video from August 23, the OTT platform announced yesterday. The Tamil action-drama, which was written and directed by Dhanush, who also starred in it, was released in theatres on July 26. The film follows the story of four siblings who flee their village and find refuge in the city. Meanwhile, Dhanush will next be seen in Kubera, and will also appear in an upcoming movie based on the life of legendary music composer, Ilaiyaraaja.

First look of Saif's next

In keeping with the trend of unveiling the ‘first cinematic look' of actors on their birthdays, the makers of Saif Ali Khan's next, Devara Part 1, shared a video featuring him yesterday. The actor makes his Telugu debut with the NTR Junior starrer, helmed by Koratala Siva. Khan plays the antagonist, Bhaira, in the action drama that also stars Janhvi Kapoor as the leading lady. The 52-second video showcases Saif in two avatars. "His presence is a celebration of havoc. The hunt will be more brutal than ever," the caption alongside the video read. The pan-India outing will also release in Hindi on September 27. Meanwhile, social media brimmed with images of celebrations at the Khan household, with Kareena Kapoor and Sara Ali Khan wishing the actor on his special day.

Condemnation continues

Following the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Bollywood actors, including Hrithik Roshan, Genelia Deshmukh, and Kareena Kapoor Khan, among others, have pressed on the need to provide justice to the victim's family. Roshan expressed his anger and wrote, "We need to evolve into a society where we all feel equally safe. That is going to take decades. Right now, justice would be to put a hard stop to such atrocities. The only way to do that is a punishment so harsh that it scares the living daylights out of such perpetrators." Deshmukh advocated for capital punishment for those responsible. "Monsters need to be hanged. A woman, a lifesaver, who was on duty faced this horror in the seminar hall," she wrote after revealing that she had learned about how the victim was tortured. Earlier in the day, Kapoor condemned the incident, as did Gen Z artistes Suhana Khan, and Navya Naveli Nanda.