'Happy Birthday': Anupam Kher wins Best Actor award at NYCIFF
Anupam Kher, who was widely appreciated for his role in the short film Happy Birthday, has bagged the Best Actor award at the New York City International Film Festival (NYCIFF). The short film that co-starred Aahana S Kumra also bagged the Best Short Film award and was nominated in several other categories. Happy Birthday is directed by Prasad Kadam, known for his visual effects.
Kher thanked the entire cast and crew of the film in his acceptance speech. He said, "Thank you New York City International Film Festival (NYCIFF) for this great honor. It's humbling to be declared the Best Actor...The credit goes to the whole team of Happy Birthday and my co-actor Aahana Kumra, thanks to the director Prasad Kadam, story writer, production team, and everybody."
The short film is a dark thriller and had recently made its way to the final of the Paris Play Film Festival. FNP Media has produced Happy Birthday, and it is their second collaboration with Kadam after Chuha Billi. Interestingly, this also marks the second collaboration for Kher and Kumra, who had previously starred in The Accidental Prime Minister in 2019.
Adding another feather to his cap, Kher has recently joined the jury for BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) Breakthrough India. The new initiative backed by Netflix will honor 10 talents from the films, games, and television industries. Other members are AR Rahman, who is the BAFTA jury chairman, Mira Nair, Siddharth Roy Kapur, and Shonali Bose.
Apart from Bollywood, Kher has also featured in several international projects. He was a part of crossover films like Bend It Like Beckham and Bride and Prejudice before co-starring in Academy Award winning Silver Linings Playbook. In 2018, Kher joined the cast of NBC medical drama TV series New Amsterdam. He left the show after wife Kirron Kher was diagnosed with blood cancer.
