The 68th National Film Award for the best Bengali Film was awarded to Avijatrik (The Wanderlust Of Apu), based on the novel Aparajito by acclaimed Bengali writer Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay, and revolves around the journey of a boy named Apu and his ardour to be a globetrotter to experience outside world. The film also bagged an honour under the category of Best Cinematography.
Avijatrik also marks the fourth National Film Award for filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar, who marked his debut in the Bengali film industry as a producer with the project. He was earlier honoured with the prestigious award for Chandni Bar (2001), Page 3 (2005) and Traffic Signal (2007).
Talking about the film that has been winning big at film festivals across the globe, an elated Bhandarkar spoke to us from Paris and said, “Even though we knew it had the potential to win the National Award, we were surprised and overwhelmed. It’s like an icing on the cake. In fact, it’s the biggest award that we have won.”
He lauds the entire team of Avijatrik for their hard work and believes that it’s their collective effort which has borne the fruit. “I think it’s a great form of appreciation whenever you get any kind of award. And a National Award, especially, gives a great boost to the careers of everyone involved, including an actor, a director or a technician,” Bhandarkar added.
What makes it even more special for the ‘Babli Bouncer’ director is the fact that the film is a tribute to late Satyajit Ray, a filmmaker who has had a huge influence in his life. He shared, “Last year, I was at the Cannes Film Festival representing India. Ray’s cinema is very popular there and people follow his movies ardently. And now, with the influx of OTT platforms, more people have the opportunity to watch his work. His contribution to cinema is unparalleled. I’m very happy that people’s respect for Ray connected them to our film, Avijatrik.”
He feels that this honour will inspire him to produce many other regional movies and hopefully give them a global prominence. “I’ve been a Ray fan since my days as a video cassette delivery boy. I’m also a big fan of the Apu trilogy. When the director (Subhrajit Mitra) narrated the superbly crafted visuals to me back in Kolkata, I knew that this was a film that was meant to be told to the larger audience. Now, I’m 100 percent looking forward to be a part of more regional films,” he concluded.
