Has the Filmfare awards jury heard of Anubhav Sinha’s 2019 masterpiece Article 15? If they have, why is it not included in the nominations list for this years Filmfare awards in the Best Film and Best Director categories?
Hands-down Article 15 was the finest Hindi film of 2019. It addressed a burning social issue (the caste system) with vigour and passion that were comparable with Alan Parker’s Mississippi Burning. No Hindi film has been shot in a light so reflective of the bleak, hopeless society depicted in the film.
In all their wisdom, the Filmfare jury has not seen Article 15 worthy of being among the five nominations for Best Film and Best Director in the Popular Category.
Are we to presume that Gully Boys, Mission Mangal, Uri, Chichhore and War are better films than Article 15? It does sound corny to even say this. But it seems Article 15 is shoved to the Critics’ awards category only so that Ayushmann Khurrana can enjoy the best of both the worlds. He is nominated for Bala in the mainstream category and for Article 15 in the critics’ category. Since Ranveer Singh is likely to take the Best Actor award in the mainstream category, Ayushmann, who just cannot be ignored, will go home with an award too.
As usual, these popular awards are all about trying to please as many stars as possible so that they would be visible on television when the awards night is telecast. And quality be damned.
Airplay always wins over fair play.
