#NationalAwards: Manoj Bajpayee reveals several producers had ditched 'Bhonsle'
Manoj Bajpayee was judged as the Best Actor by the jury of 67th National Film Awards for his film Bhonsle. Speaking on his third National Award win (he had received the Best Supporting Actor award for Satya and a special jury award for Pinjar), Bajpayee revealed that several producers had dumped the movie. Bhonsle has been directed by Devashish Makhija. Here are more details.
In a detailed interaction with News18, Bajpayee appreciated Makhija for directing the project with conviction. "I really want to thank my producers- mainly Sandiip Kapoor and Piyush Singh- for really standing by me," he added. He explained that this movie was more like a mission for everyone involved. "Finally, with this National Award, everything else seems justified," he told the daily.
"We began our journey five years back. We kept on looking for producers but people came in and went away like that. Nobody was there to show any kind of confidence. It took us a lot many years to find small producers to put in the money," he went on.
The film, also co-produced by Bajpayee, tells the story of a terminally-ill police constable and his relationship with two migrants from Bihar, who are being targeted by locals. The film made strong commentary on the treatment meted out to North Indian migrants in Maharashtra. The first look of the film was released at 2018's Cannes Film Festival. The movie is currently streaming on SonyLIV.
"Many times in the past, I felt many of my deserving ones got somewhere left out, but Bhonsle getting it has completely covered or made me forget everything that I didn't get in the past. I thank everyone," the actor told HT.
Monday's announcement set the whole entertainment industry buzzing. Kangana Ranaut was judged as the Best Actress for Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi and Panga, while late Sushant Singh Rajput-starrer Chhichhore won the Best Hindi (Feature) Film Award. Bajpayee shared the Best Actor honor with Dhanush, who was awarded for his splendid performance in Asuran. This was the second time Dhanush was named the Best Actor.
