Hyderabad: Kriti Sanon received the National Film Award for Best Actress for her performance in Mimi, and the actor couldn't be happier. The ceremony took place on October 17 at Vigyan Bhavan in the capital. President Droupadi Murmu presented the winners with the National Film Award.
69th National Film Awards: 'Elated' Kriti Sanon receives best actor award for Mimi - watch She attended the prestigious award show wearing traditional attire. The actor opted for an ivory saree and paired it with a white closed neck blouse. She had her hair held back in a sleek bun with middle parting. Sanon was accompanied by her parents Rahul Sanon and Geeta Sanon. Talking about her win at the red carpet, she said that winning the coveted award within a ten year span of her debut in the film industry is something she was proud of.
The ceremony was live-streamed by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) on their social media platforms. Earlier, shutterbugs spotted her at Delhi Airport on Monday evening. She wore a red hoodie and blue straight-fit jeans, keeping her look cool and casual. The names of the winners were revealed in August 2023.
After being named Best Actor, Kriti shared her joy with a media agency saying: "I am grateful to God and my fans for everything. My prayers have been answered. I keep a diary in which I write about my life, dreams, and ambitions. I wrote in my notebook after working on Mimi that I would win the national prize for my performance in this film, and I did. I hope this victory inspires boys and girls who see thousands of dreams and want to achieve them."
Kriti received the National Film Award for Best Actress in collaboration with Alia Bhatt. The actress revealed that she was in the middle of a meeting at her home when she began receiving calls and was absolutely unaware of her Best Actress win. "I couldn't understand what was going on," she told a media agency, adding, "I don't typically leave meetings to accept calls, but I had to this time, and that's when I really got to know the news."
She further added: "I was so excited and emotional that I had to interrupt the meeting and hurry down to give my parents a hug and tell them the news, and then everyone burst into tears. It is a memory I will never forget in my life." She went on to say that there are just a few films and roles in an actor's career that give them so much to do and impact them so deeply. Such parts make actors very enthusiastic and almost obsessed with the character and that's something that happened with her as well with regard to her 2021 film Mimi for which she earned much critical acclaim leading to a national award win.
The 2021 film Mimi is a comedy-drama film directed by Laxman Utekar and produced by Dinesh Vijan through Maddock Films. It is a remake of the 2011 Marathi film Mala Aai Vhhaychy! and stars Kriti Sanon in the titular role. In the film, Kriti plays Mimi Rathore, who is a stage dancer from Rajasthan and aspires to be a Bollywood actress.
The film revolves around her as a taxi driver named Bhanu approaches her after a performance with an offer. He introduces Mimi to John and Summer, an American couple looking for a surrogate mother. Summer is infertile, and the couple is willing to pay a surrogate 20 lakh. Mimi agrees, anticipating that this will assist her film star dreams. What unfolds once she conceives is the plot of the story.
Kriti went on to win 22nd IIFA Awards in the Best Actor category for Mimi and 67th Filmfare Awards for Best Actor in a leading role (Female). She is now sharing the 69th National Film Awards for Best Actor with Alia Bhatt (Gangubai Kathiawadi). The 69th National Film Awards' winners were chosen by an 11-member jury, with acclaimed filmmaker Ketan Mehta leading the panel. The jury also included individuals like Vasanth S Sai, Yatindra Mishra, Neerja Sekhar, and more.
Also read: President Murmu to confer 69th National Film Awards today; ahead of the event, have a look at winners from major categories
