Premium69th National Film Awards: Alia Bhatt and Kriti Sanon share Best Actress Award for Gangubai Kathiawadi and Mimi
Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Pankaj Tripathi won top honours for Gangubai Kathiawadi and Mimi, respectively.
Last Updated: 06.18 PM, Aug 24, 2023
The 69th National Film Awards have been announced, and two female actors have won the Best Actor award this time, both from Hindi. Yes, Alia Bhatt and Kriti Sanon are sharing the awards for their incredible performances in Gangubai Kathiawadi and Mimi, respectively. Gangubai Kathiawadi, the Sanjay Leela Bhansali-directed film, was released theatrically in 2022. While Laxman Utekar's film Mimi had its direct premiere on Netflix and JioCinema in 2021,
About Gangubai Kathiawadi:
In the film, Gangubai Kathiawadi, a young woman from Kathiawad played by Alia Bhatt, is forced to become a sex worker in Mumbai. In order to succeed, she learns to work with rather than against the forces of fate. For her performance, the actor went on to win several accolades at the leading awards event, and the National Film Award is the cherry on top.
The SLB film is based on Hussain Zaidi's book, Mafia Queens of Mumbai. The filmmaker also won the Best Editor award for the film. Bhansali went on to win Best Screenplay Writer (Adapted) along with Utkarshini Vashishtha. She also shared the honour of best dialogue writer with Prakash Kapadia.
About Mimi:
Mimi is the Hindi remake of the Marathi film Mala Aai Vhhaychy! and stars Kriti Sanon in the titular role. In the film, she plays an aspiring actor who volunteers to be a surrogate for a visiting foreign couple. However, her experience takes some unexpected turns along the way, and her journey makes up for the rest of the film. In 2021, Kriti won several Best Actress awards for her career-best performance.
Interestingly, Pankaj Tripathi also won Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his amazing performance in Mimi.
Their first win at the national level:
Both Alia and Kriti have won the National Award for the first time, and that too for the titular role they played, which went on to become a game changer for both of them.