Dadasaheb Phalke Awards is considered to be one of the most prestigious awards in Indian cinema. Several maverick film personalities from India have had the opportunity to lay their hands on this award. Dadasaheb Phalke Awards 2023 awarded several Indian films which were loved by the public, however, there were also a few surprises.
As is the case almost every year, the 2023 edition of the awards was also extremely tilted toward the Hindi film industry. The awards noticed and awarded the movies which had been the talk of the town for both good and bad reasons.
Mr. and Mrs Kapoor bagged the best actors award
Ranbir Kapoor bagged the best actor award for his performance in Brahmastra. The movie, which was a hit at the box office, was a hot topic amongst the public for several reasons, but Ranbir’s acting wasn’t really one of them. Superhero movies have very different grammar, and thus such movies are seldom ‘acting heavy’. Ranbir has a rich body of work, and he is also regarded to be the finest actor of the current generation, but making his performance stand apart in the same year when there was a fantastic Dhanush performance in Thiruchitrambalam or even a Fahad Faasil masterclass in Malayankunju, would be an overstatement.
In the last few years, several prominent voices are speaking out against the amoeba-like commercialisation of the Indian award shows. Through several decades, the Dadasaheb Phalke Awards had maintained its credibility, but it seems to be fading quite fast now.
Varun Dhawan touched the feet of Anupam Kher who won the award for the most versatile actor. Credits – TOI
Varun Dhawan bagged the best actor award in the critics’ choice category for his performance in ‘Bhediya’. The makers of the film were criticised by a small but significant voice on social media for hyping the mid-level business of the movie. Some of the top critics were also called out for ‘helping’ the film look like a success when in reality it had an average run at the box office.
The non-Hindi cinema was also awarded at the event, in the form of Kantara and RRR. What this goes on to show is that the spectrum of the award jury in India is limited to the movies coming out from the mainstream zone. There seems little to no effort in acknowledging the works of the filmmakers and studios who try and create some great content with limited resources.
