SHILLONG: The 63rd National Film Awards ceremony held on Tuesday witnessed the Directorate of Film Festivals of India presenting its annual National Film Awards to honour the best films of 2015 in the Indian cinema.
Representing Meghalaya once again, the National Film Award presented in the form of Rajat Kamal Silver Lotus Award for the Khasi film Onaatah was received by Pomu Das, veteran producer, and one of the key figures responsible for revival of commercial film making through his film Ka Mon Bajwat, and proud father of Pradip Kurbah who is the director of the film which drew applause under the category ‘Best Feature Film in Each of the Language Other Than Those Specified in the Schedule VIII of the Constitution’.
President Pranab Mukherjee handed over the award to Mr Das at the 63rd National Film Awards 2015 function in New Delhi.
Declaring the list of winners earlier, Ramesh Sippy, Chairperson of jury for Feature category of NFA had commented, “I must say that all of us were very taken up with this film (Onaatah). It’s a very admirable effort, and the way it has been dealt with, very sensitively and very nicely. It is indeed one of the nicest films I have seen.”
It may be mentioned that individuals delving extensively into film making have portrayed great appreciation for the film.
Cherry Kordor, Head of Department, Media Department at St. Anthony’s College was ecstatic to have been able to showcase the film in the college for school and college students recently. “Onaatah has taken film making in Meghalaya to a different level altogether. We can now proudly say that this is the kind of quality production one can hope for from the State of Meghalaya,” she said.
Yet another film critic, Rangdajied Blah opined, “I have never seen such an honest film, a film that you will feel bad when it ends. It is not a sitcom or a romcom masquerading as one, or yet another meaningless Khasi or Jaintia film. It’s a film that is intensely local and gloriously global, with a terrific control of the art by Pradip Kurbah; a film that truly deserves more than a National award for best Khasi film. People in Delhi should try not to miss this gem from the state, that I can proudly say that it’s our very own film from the land of clouds,”
While the film would be a first National Award winning one for lead actress Sweety Jane Pala, Onaatah is the second such experience for lead actor Merlvin Jude Mukhim who had also played the leading role in Ri.
Onaatah is scheduled to be screened at the Habitat Film Festival, New Delhi and also as the opening film at upcoming Kharam Loya Film Festival 2016, Manipur before traveling for festivals scheduled at Hong Kong, Egypt and Poland. The film is releasing in Shillong theatres on May 13.
