'Scam 1992' wins big at Critics' Choice Awards
What's the story
Content that helped viewers get through the coronavirus lockdown won huge honors at the third edition of the Critics' Choice Awards. Among those who emerged as the biggest winners were hit series like Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story, Aarya, and Pataal Lok. The award celebrates talent, artists, and technicians in feature films, web series, and short movies spanning all Indian languages.
Big winner
Harshad Mehta's story impressed jury, took home three awards
The breakthrough show of 2020 — Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story — which focused on the meteoric rise of Harshad Mehta, won the much-coveted title of 'Best Web Series.' Pratik Gandhi who wowed one and all with his portrayal of Mehta took home the award for 'Best Actor'. The show's writing was also honored at the prestigious awards.
Twitter Post
Streamer SonyLIV won four awards, congratulated winners
Upping the winning streak and how! Super thrilled to announce that we have won across 4 categories in the prestigious Critics Choice Awards! Congratulations to the winners for their epic success! @pratikg80 @BajpayeeManoj @CCSSAwards @CCFAwards @ApplauseSocial #Scam1992 #Bhonsle pic.twitter.com/Yx1eXaUnzo
— SonyLIV (@SonyLIV) February 16, 2021
Hit
'Scam 1992' became one of the most talked-about shows
Interestingly, Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story streamed on a relatively lesser-known platform, SonyLIV, but its brilliance caught people's attention almost overnight. Gandhi, who was a known face in Gujarati theater before this, became a household name, all thanks to his effortless portrayal of Mehta. From how he mouthed his dialogues to how he walked, Gandhi showed he was made for this role.
Other winners
Sushmita Sen, Pankaj Tripathi, Adil Hussain were also awarded
Sushmita Sen was judged as 'Best Actress' for her menacing portrayal of Aarya Sareen in the web series Aarya. Eeb Allay Ooo! was labeled as the 'Best Film' in the feature film category. Adil Hussain was awarded for his role in the short film Meal while Pankaj Tripathi won the trophy for his supporting role in the movie Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl.
Reactions
Winners took to social media to express their gratitude
After being honored, winners from across the categories expressed gratitude on social media. Veteran actor, Manoj Bajpayee, who won the 'Best Actor (Feature film)' award for Bhonsle, thanked his director and dedicated the award to the film's team. Hussain, as well as, actors like Swastika Mukherjee and Abhishek Banerjee, also thanked the jury for the honor bestowed on them.
Twitter Post
Swastika Mukherjee also thanked the 'universe of dogs'
Thank you @CriticsChoice for the honour.
— Swastika Mukherjee (@swastika24) February 14, 2021
Thank you @prosit_roy @nowitsabhi @OfficialCSFilms @PrimeVideoIN the cast and crew for making my journey so memorable.
I love you #shabitri I’ll forever be grateful to the universe for #dogs
Cheers to being #DollyMehra in #paatallok pic.twitter.com/RMrpkMwgT9
Changes
When movie halls were closed, OTT platforms came to rescue
When the coronavirus pandemic struck last year and movie halls shut down, OTT platforms provided the much-needed respite to cine buffs. From the comfort and safety of their homes, viewers hogged on a plethora of web series, movies, and short movies. The exposure to OTT platforms also helped viewers notice some brilliant actors, who would have otherwise been lost in the glitzy world of Bollywood.