The National Film Awards ceremony, which is supposed to take place in Gujarat instead of Delhi this month, stirred a political row. Amid the ongoing conversation, actor Paresh Rawal has reacted to the row and defended the choice.
"Gujarat kya Bangladesh mein hai, Pakistan mein hai? Gujarat toh hamare desh ka hi hissa hai. Gujarat mein zaroor hona chahiye (Is Gujarat in Pakistan? Is it in Bangladesh? Gujarat is very much a part of our country)," Paresh Rawal told news agency ANI.
Asked about the ongoing political row, Paresh Rawal said, "Politics ka toh kaam hai sawal uthana (Politicians will only raise questions)."
"26 January ki parade Delhi mein hoti hai na? Toh har function har state mein hona chahiye (The 26 January parade takes place in Delhi. So every function should happen in every state)," Paresh Rawal argued.
The 72nd edition of the awards, announced in July, will be a departure from the usual tradition though there have been instances when the ceremony was held outside Delhi.
The National Film Awards ceremony will move out of Delhi to Kevadia in Gujarat with President Droupadi Murmu presenting the honours on September 22.
Kevadia, which has been renamed Ekta Nagar, is home to the world's tallest statue -- that of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. The Statue of Unity stands at 597 feet and was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018.
The first National Awards in 1954 were held in Delhi's Vigyan Bhawan. Since then most of the award ceremonies took place over there.
The 17th National Film Awards were held in Chennai in 1971.
Article 370 has been named the Best Feature Film and its lead star Yami Gautam the Best Actress.
Malayalam superstar Mammootty and Bollywood star Kartik Aaryan will share the Best Actor prize for their roles in Bramayugam and Chandu Champion respectively.
Actor-filmmaker Randeep Hooda has been named the best debut director award for Swatantrya Veer Savarkar, a biopic on Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.
Telugu science-fiction epic Kalki 2898 AD will receive the award for Best Popular film providing wholesome entertainment, while Tamil film Captain Miller, directed by Arun Matheswaran and starring Dhanush, has been named the Best Feature Film promoting 'National, Social and Environmental Values'.
