National Award? Thanks but no thanks!

Eminent filmmaker Gautam Ghosh has decided to return the National Award for the Best Bengali film that he won for his recent celluloid venture, Dekha, citing the resignation of three jury members and "other unfortunate developments.

"This year's National Awards have become farcical with reports of rigged results in a section of press indicating that the names of some winners had been decided even before the official declaration. I don't want my film to be clubbed with an award tainted with controversies," declares Ghosh.

To clarify his position, he says he will write to President K R Narayanan, who is slated to present the awards to the recipients at a special ceremony.

"I'm sad that the President's name is being associated with an award rooted in controversies," says Ghosh, ruefully.

What prompted him to take this drastic step? The director of Paar and Padma Nadir Majhi said, "I was extremely upset when press reports saying that the the nominations were rigged started appearing.

"The resignation of jury members, filmmakers Pradip Krishen, Shashi Anand and dancer Madhumita Raut was unprecedented. It was the last straw and I decided to return the award," he said.

PTI