Sono stati annunciati i vincitori dei prestigiosi National Film Award per la produzione dell'anno 2012. L'industria cinematografica hindi ha ottime ragioni per celebrare: il bottino è ricchissimo. Segnalo di seguito solo i premi più importanti, con qualche cenno anche alle altre cinematografie.
* Paan Singh Tomar: miglior film, miglior attore protagonista (Irrfan Khan - ex aequo con Vikram Gokhale per Anumati, in lingua marathi)
* Chittagong di Bedaprata Pain: miglior opera prima (ex aequo)
* Vicky Donor di Shoojit Sircar: miglior film d'intrattenimento (ex aequo), miglior attore non protagonista (Annu Kapur), miglior attrice non protagonista (Dolly Ahluwalia, ex aequo)
* Delhi safari di Nikkhil Advani: miglior film d'animazione
* Dekh Indian Circus di Mangesh Hadawale: miglior film per ragazzi, premio speciale della giuria (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), menzione speciale (Tannishtha Chatterjee)
* Kahaani: migliore sceneggiatura originale (Sujoy Ghosh), premio speciale della giuria (Nawazuddin Siddiqui)
* OMG - Oh my God! di Umesh Shukla: migliore sceneggiatura non originale
* Gangs of Wasseypur di Anurag Kashyap: premio speciale della giuria (Nawazuddin Siddiqui)
* Talaash: premio speciale della giuria (Nawazuddin Siddiqui)
* Ishaqzaade di Habib Faisal: menzione speciale (Parineeti Chopra)
* Filmistaan di Nitin Kakkar: miglior film in lingua hindi.
Miglior regista: Shivaji Lotan Patil per il film in lingua marathi Dhag
Miglior attrice protagonista: Usha Jadhav per il film in lingua marathi Dhag
Miglior film in lingua telugu: Eega
Migliori effetti speciali: Eega
Premio speciale della giuria: Rituparno Ghosh per il film in lingua bengali Chitrangada
I feel more cautious now about what I'm making, Devanshi Seth, The Times of India, 20 marzo 2013. Dichiarazioni di Tigmanshu Dhulia: 'It's overwhelming. I wasn't expecting this. I did expect Irrfan to win, though. There were so many good films this year. So, it wasn't a walk-over for me. No one can say we won the award because there was no competition. And that's what's giving me added pleasure. That we won despite the competition. (...) It's true that off-beat films are now commercially successful. But it was an economic necessity. When some five years ago, multiplexes began to open in smaller cities, the middle class intellectuals in these cities started going back to theatres. Till before this, the cinema halls were in such bad shape that the educated elite did not want to step out of their homes to watch a film. This was also the time when there was this huge vomit of Hindi films by big banners, which were made essentially for the NRI audience, and that doctors, engineers, lawyers in these towns could not relate to. When multiplexes opened up, these people began to return to theatres, fuelling a demand for a cinema they could relate to, and the Indian box office returns began to make a difference, with revenues from small cities increasing. And they're increasing every year'.
Definition of 'hero' is changing in Hindi cinema, Aarushi Nigam, The Times of India, 20 marzo 2013. Dichiarazioni di Irrfan Khan: 'I'm very happy, I'm ecstatic for the film, for the subject, and for Paan Singh himself. For me, it's... the most interesting thing about this award is the kind of reaction I got from the people who are my well-wishers, who believe in me. They are reacting as if they themselves have got the award. You somehow feel that people connect with you and people put their hopes in you, and they somehow feel that we are representing them. So they are feeling that this is their victory. That Paan Singh was looking for its due, and it has got its due now. (...) And the definition of 'hero' is changing in Hindi cinema, and it will keep on changing, it's not a temporary change. Last year, you saw a few films which were trying to redefine commercial cinema, and this change will go on, because a whole new generation has come, in filmmakers and in the audience, so it's here to say'.
National Award is a shocker, Jyothi Prabhakar, The Times of India, 20 marzo 2013. Dichiarazioni di Shoojit Sircar: 'I'm very glad this worked, because it was a very difficult subject that I tried to present in a simple manner. But the shocker was that this subject, which is a taboo in society, which I thought would face problems on that angle, being adjudged the best entertainer - that's definitely a shout out for the Indian audience. Actually, I never thought... I mean, I thought of this as a socially relevant film. There was the topic of divorce, of infertility, sperm donation, and here we are, as the entertainers. Life's truths do entertain, isn't it?'.
Akshay Kumar in Twitter, 18 marzo 2013: 'Superb news, our first film Oh my God! won a National Award for Best Adapted Screenplay! Truly an OMG moment for us'.
S.S. Rajamouli in Twitter, 18 marzo 2013: 'But I would have been really happy had Sudeep received the recognition for his extraordinary efforts. Eega is not the same without him'.
