Rajkummar Rao’s film ‘Srikanth’ bagged the Best Hindi Feature Film honor at the 72nd National Film Awards. The biopic, directed by: Tushar Hiranandaninarrates the life of visually impaired industrialist Srikanth Bolla and also features Jyotika:Alayah F and: Sharad Kelkar in important roles. Jyotika recently opened up about how happy she is to see her Bollywood comeback project bag a prestigious award.
Jyotika on Srikanth’s journey to victory
For Jyotika, this win is significant as ‘Srikanth’ overcame budget constraints and many other hurdles to reach this milestone. Speaking to News18, he shared, “When a film battles every situation, from budget to release date, and still emerges victorious just because of pure intention, craft and storytelling, it becomes an emotion for the team. Tushar, Nidhi Hiranandani and T-Series (producer) made this film directly from their hearts just to tell the world that a person without sight is the most beautiful challenge. to become not only an MIT student but also a successful industrialist and more in life”.Jyotika described Rajkummar’s performance in the film as ‘brilliant’ and praised Tushar’s ‘vision and passion’ for taking on a bold story like ‘Srikanth’. “I can’t thank you enough and feel proud to be playing the role of Devika’s mentor, the female wind under Srikanth’s wings,” says Jyotika. There was also a personal reason this victory felt particularly meaningful to him. “This role is also close to my heart as it is the first Hindi film I have signed after a gap of 25 years in Bollywood. It is not just a National Award but an emotion for the team. It will be etched in our hearts forever,” he said.
Other winners of the 72nd National Film Awards:
Meanwhile, ‘Article 370’ bagged the Best Film award and also earned Yami Gautam Dhar her first ever Best Actress award. Kartik Aaryan, on the other hand, won his maiden National Award, sharing the Best Actor trophy with Malayalam superstar Mammootty. While Kartik was honored for ‘Chandu Champion’, Mammootty won for ‘Bramayugam’. The Best Director award goes to: Rajkumar Periasamy for ‘Amaran’, and ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ bagged the Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment award.