Awards don’t create value for independent films in India: Manoj Bajpayee

PTI, Nov 22, 2024, 5:40 PM IST

Actor Manoj Bajpayee (PTI /File)

Panaji: Actor Manoj Bajpayee, known for starring in critically-acclaimed indies such as “Gali Guleiyan”, “Bhosle”, and “Joram”, on Friday said awards at international film festivals don’t necessarily ensure that an independent film will be received warmly at home.

The actor, said the glory of such award is short-lived unless it is Oscars.

“No matter how big an award the independent cinema from our country wins outside, some film that brought recognition for the country, it has nothing to do with the corporates or the business of the film. This is the problem I have with the awards. Awards don’t create value in an actor or director’s life,” Bajpayee told PTI on the sidelines of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) here.

“We receive an award, we party in the evening and forget the next day. But is that award getting me more films or are my films getting a good release? Is it helping me get a pay raise? No, it does nothing. An award’s value lasts only for one night,” he added.

On Monday, Hansal Mehta shared a review of Payal Kapadia’s Cannes Grand Prix-winning “All We Imagine As Light” by American news outlet The New Yorker and said that he has heard that no OTT platform has bought the film as of yet.

Asked about Mehta’s post on X, the actor, who has worked with the director on “Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar” and “Aligarh”, said, “This is the truth. Hansal hasn’t said anything that’s not true.” Payal Kapadia’s “All We Imagine…” is the first film from India in 30 years to be chosen in the official competition at Cannes and also to win the Grand Prix award.

The Malayalam-Hindi film, an official Indo-French co-production, released in theatres across India on Friday. It is distributed by Rana Daggubati’s Spirit Media.

On the other hand, Bajpayee said if someone is an Oscar nominee, a whole new value is added to their name.

“They are suddenly flooded with offers. Their pay becomes better. People start developing more interest in that talent. A lot of our independent films return to the country after receiving a lot of recognition at international film festivals.

“But the moment they take the flight back and land here, there is no ‘karta-dharta’ (guardian) of that film. No one talks about the film, how it will be released or distributed. All this still remains in the dark. I’ve seen this. This is still happening,” the multiple National Award winner said.