Sir — This refers to the report, “National Award for MOM, Dadasaheb Phalke for Vinod!” (April 14). Thousands of fans of Sridevi and Vinod Khanna are happy over the duo being conferred the Best Actress and the lifetime Achievement awards respectively by the National Film Awards jury.
Sridevi regaled the film buffs with her versatile roles in films like Mr India, Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja, Aakhree Raasta and Inquilab but her roles in Sadma, wherein she played a dumb and lost girl opposite Kamal Haasan and Mom where she played the role of an avenging mother for her daughter’s disgrace will be remembered for long.
Tall and handsome as his stature was, Vinod Khanna, in unison with Big B, ruled the roost in the 70s with Hera Pheri, Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, Khoon Pasina, Parwarish and Qurbani with Feroze Khan. But Khanna’s performances in Mere Apne, Imtihaan, Inkaar and Achanak have left some indelible imprints upon his fans’ minds even as his second innings was successful with Dabangg, Dabangg 2, Kranti and Players. Astonishingly, the National Film Awards jury looked the other way when it came to yesteryear legends like Shammi Kapoor and Joy Mukherjee who deserved official recognition for their dedication to Indian cinema. Another actor-legend who needs to be acknowledged is Biswajit Chatterjee, a star who bridged the regional and mainstream divide.