59th National Film Awards

Vice President of India Hamid Ansari confer red the 59th National Film Awards across various categories upon the winners at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. Ansari also presented the Dadasaheb Phalke award, highest honour in Indian cinema to Veteran Bengali actor Soumitra Chatterjee. The best feature film award was shared by Marathi film Deool and Kannada movie Byari, while the best direction award went to Gurvinder Singh for his Punjabi film Anhe Ghorey Da Daan, which also won the best cinematogr aphy title. Hindi film I Am was named the best Hindi film of the year. Chillar Party was adjudged the best children’s film, and it also received the honour for best original screenplay writer. Marathi actor Girish Kulkarni claimed the best actor trophy for his role as a good-hearted simpleton in Deool. Bollywood actress Vidya Balan got the best female actor award for her role in Dirty Picture.The best supporting actor and actress awards were given to Appu Kutty for Tamil film Azhagarsamiyin Kuthirai and Leishangthem Tonthoingambi Devi for Manipuri film Phijigee Mani, respectively. Anand Bhate, won the best playback singer (male) title for Balgandharva, and Roopa Ganguly, won the same award in the female category for the Bengali film Abosheyshey. Bollywood lyricist Amitabh Bhattacharya received the best lyricist trophy. For the song Agar Zindgi from the movie I Am. Composer Neel Dutt won the best songs award for Bengali rock musical Ranjana Ami Ar Ashbo Na. Mayookh Bhaumik bagged the background score honor for Bengali film Laptop. RA.One bagged the award for best special effects and the best choreography was given to Bosco-Caeser for Senorita from Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. The best costume designer award was shared by Niharika Khan for The Dirty Picture and Neeta Lulla for Marathi film Balgandharva. The best child artist was received jointly by Partho Gupte for Stanley Ka Dabba and by the gang of 10 kids for Chillar Party. Vikram Gaekwad won the best make-up artist for his work in The Dirty Picture as well as in Bal Gandharva.All three awards in the best audiography category were picked by Hindi films. The best location sound recordist title went to Beylon Fonseca for Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. Game was given the honours in the sound designer and re-recordist of the final mixed track categories. Kumararaja Thiagarajan won the Indira Gandhi Award for best debut film of a director for Aaranyakandam while the award for the best popular film providing wholesome entertainment went to Tamil film Azhagarsamiyin Kuthirai.Acclaimed f ilmmaker Girish Kasaravalli picked his 12th National Film Award at the event for Kurmavatar a, adjudged the best Kannada film. Traditionally, the national awards are given out by the President. But in the absence of president the vice president presented the awards.

PC Chandra Lifetime Achievement Award

Bollywood actor Mithun Chakravarti received the PC Chandra lifetime achievement award in Kolkata on 29 April 2102. West Bengal Governor MK Narayan confer red the award upon the iconic Bengali actor. The  award was comprised a memento, citation and five lakh rupees cash. Mithun has bagged the national award thrice - for Mrigaya (1976), Tahader Katha (1996) and Swami Vivekananda (1998). PC Chandra group has also felicitated stalwar ts like the late Ustad Bismillah Khan, Sunil Gavaskar and P T Usha in the past.

Kalpana Chawla Excellence Award

Yesteryear actress Sushma Seth and Miss India World Vinya Mishra were awarded with Kalpana Chawla excellence award on 6 May 2012 at Mavlankar Auditorium, New Delhi. The other awardees included Padmabhushan kuchipudi and bharatnatyam dancer Swapnasundari, IPS Officer Shalini Singh, who had won the police  medal for meritorious service in 2012 and jewellery designer Puneeta Trikha. The award instituted by PECOBA (Punjab Engineering College Chandigarh Old Boys Association was conferred by la te astronaut’s father Banarsi Lal Chawla Chawla. The awards are being given every year in the memory of Kalpana, who died in Space Shuttle Columbia disaster on 1 February 2003. The Function was organized by PECOBA (Punjab Engineering College Chandigarh Old Boys Association). Kalpana Chawla was an alumnus of this College and got her degree in aeronautical engineering in 1982 from this college.

South Asian Cinema Foundation’s Excellence in Cinema Award

The South Asian Cinema Foundation (SACF) in association with British Film Institute (BFI) Southbank and The Nehru Centre decided to honour the work of veteran Indian filmmaker Shyam Benegal with the South Asian Cinema Foundation’s ‘Excellence in Cinema Award’ on 9 June 2012. He is to be presented the award in recognition of his contribution to new wave Indian cinema. Benegal who is also a recipient of the Dada Saheb Phalke Award, will be sixth filmmaker to be honoured by SACF. Previous recipients of the award include M S Sathyu (2004), Adoor Gopalakrishnan (2006), Saeed Akhtar Mirza (2008), Girish Kasaravalli (2009) and poet and Oscar winning lyricist of Slumdog Millionaire fame, Gulzar (2010). Director and screenwriter Shyam Benegal is considered the father of the New Wave in Indian cinema. Benegal made 26 fiction features, several and TV series, notably a 53-hour TV series on the History of India. In his career spanning 50 years he made documentaries as well as features which established him as highly accomplished and deeply humanitarian filmmaker. His critique of sexual and social inequality was represented in all his work. Benegal’s movies like Nishant (Night’s End, 1976), Bhumika (The Role, 1977), Trikal(Past Present Future, 1985), Junoon (Obsession, 1978) and Zubeidaa (2000) documented social change in India after the end of the British Raj. His movies had a deep impact in Bollywood in terms of creation of new content. Benegal had taught masscommunication techniques between 1966 and 1973 and had also taken an active role in shaping film education as Chairman of the Film Television Institute of India during 1980-83 and 1989-92. Benegal was part of the National Integration Council (1986-89) and the National Council of Art. Benegal was a Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) between 2006 and 2012. The Government of India conferred on him two of its most prestigious awards Padma Shri (1976) and Padma Bhushan (1991). He also won the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2005  and bagged several National film awards in his illustrious career. 

6th NTR National Literary Award

Noted Tamil writer Ashokamitran, known for his novel Thanneer and other works was declared the recipient of the 6th NTR National Literary Award on 4 May 2012. The award was presented on 28 May 2012. The writer was born in Secunderabad and was closest to Telugu culture, language and people. The announcement was made by chairperson of NTR Vignan Trust Nandamuri Lakshmi Parvati who recalled how the award was established and began with Kannada writer S.L. Bhyrappa, A. Somasundaram (Telugu), Sachidanandan (Malayalam), Mahasweta Devi and Gnanpith awardee C. Narayana Reddy. The jury comprised writer Volga, Professor N. Krupanandam of the University of Hyderabad and litterateur Ketu Vishwanatha Reddy. Ashokamitran’s name was finalised unanimously, considering the number of his works that were translated in other languages and their relevance to Telugu.