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National Film Awards shift focus to regional cinema
Published on Wed, Jun 11, 2008 at 00:55 in 
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REGIONAL FILMS: The Best Film award went to the Malayalam film Pulijanmam directed by Priyanandanan.
Thrissur: The 54th National Film Awards for the year 2006 shifted focus to regional cinema. The key awards of best film, actor and actress were bagged by regional entries.
The Best Film award went to the Malayalam film Pulijanmam directed by Priyanandanan starring Murali and Sindhu Menon. The film highlights the double standards of political parties and social workers.
"I am happy that I have been recognised at last. It is an inspiration to make new films and to think differently particularly, after undergoing a phase of neglect for a long time,” says Priyanandan.
Soumitra Chatterjee was named Best Actor for the Bengali film Podokkhep in which he plays an old retired man in Kolkata who forms an unusual bond of friendship with a five-year-old girl.
Priyamani bagged the best actress award for her role in the Tamil film Paruthi Veeran, where she portrays a simple village girl in love with a local rowdy who is in and out of prison.
“I still want someone to pinch me as hard as possible because I think I am still in a dream world,” says actress Priyamani.
A surprise winner was filmmaker Madhu Kaithapram, who bagged the Indira Gandhi Best New Director award for the Malayalam film Ekantham.
But this isn't the first time that all the main categories have been bagged by regional artists. For 2003, the winners were Tamil actor Vikram for Best Actor, Malayalam actress Meera Jasmine won the Best Actress and Bengali filmmaker Rituparno Ghosh's Chokher Bali was named Best Feature Film.
With most awards focusing on commercial and popular Bollywood productions, the national awards is looked upon as the only recognised honour which can look beyond box office collections, marketing hype and star power.
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