The 54th Filmfare awards ceremony was held on the 28th of February, 2009 in Mumbai, India. The annual show is ostensibly the Oscars of Bollywood, however the comparison between the two is immature at best. The awards are given by a commercial magazine called Filmfare and the process of nominating the films and the voting is opaque at best. Oscars on the other hand have a rigorous nomination process that has been in place for 7 decades and relies on the voting of Academy Members who have been or are involved in the film industry. Furthermore, the counting of the ballots is done under the auspices of Price Waterhouse Coopers an independent audit firm.
Every year the awards are handed out to the commercially successful films. Perhaps the title of the awards should be changed accordingly. Best Film? Can someone describe the criteria for selection? Take the nominations for this year as an example.
1. Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi
2. Dostana
3. Jodha Akbar
4. Ghajini
5. Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na
6. Rock On!
Can someone please explain the absence of some terrific films that were produced this year such as Welcome to Sajjanpur, Ramchand Pakistani or Khuda Kay Liye? How about A Wednesday? Does at least one best film in the nomination list must have Shahrukh Khan in it?
Best actor nomination for Shahrukh (Ruk Ruk) Khan for Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi is an insult to the average viewer’s sensibility. When is Filmfare stop going to pander to the biggest stars and award actors based on performances, not popularity.
Pick almost any category and you will find a complete travesty of art and cinema. Top that up with the show itself. We saw a slew of artists from Slumdog Millionaire being worshipped on the stage for a very well deserving performance but had this movie been made in India under an Indian banner it would not have made the Filmfare awards nominee list. Our actors and actresses have shed the traditional Indian outfits to don western designer clothes but have not shed the double standard that is carried in this show. Ashtosh Gowarikar and the movie Jodha Akbar won several awards but none of the small banner films even got the nod from the magazine. It is time for India to wake up and appreciate art in its entirety and not just commercially successful films and please dispense with the hip gyrating dances, even with pants on only one leg, they are still the same lame dances that are presented in every cheap show on Indian Television.
