This year’s National Film Awards saw Kannada cinema shining brightly. Prashanth Neel’s KGF: Chapter 2, starring Yash, won two awards: Best Kannada Film and Best Action Direction. Released in 2022, it was a sequel to KGF: Chapter 1 and also starred Sanjay Dutt, Raveena Tandon, Srinidhi Shetty, and Prakash Raj, among others. It marked Raveena’s return to the big screen five years after the Hindi film Shab. This is the second time that a film starring the actor has received a National Award, the first being Ram Gopal Varma’s Shool.
Speaking exclusively to News18 Showsha, she says, “It’s great for us! This is the next National Award after Shool. I haven’t had the chance to speak to anyone from the team yet. Incidentally, my husband (Anil Thadani; distributor) flew there to meet Prashanth, and they’re in Hyderabad right now.” For the unversed, back in 2001, she had bagged Best Actress at the 48th National Film Awards for Kalpana Lajmi’s Daman: A Victim Of Marital Violence.
The Padma Shri winner says that despite being an actor for 33 years now, awards, especially a national honor, still fill her with excitement. “Of course, awards still excite me. That’s the appreciation you get for films that deserve it, and for KGF: Chapter 2 to get that kind of recognition is a big shot in the arm. It’s exhilarating, satisfying, and gratifying. So, I’m elated that besides its commercial success and critical acclaim, KGF: Chapter 2 has also won the National Award,” remarks Raveena.
While many may think that the Yash starrer was her comeback vehicle, Raveena disagrees. “I didn’t completely leave and then make a comeback with KGF: Chapter 2. I was still doing movies in between. I did Maatr and a couple of Telugu films. So, KGF: Chapter 2 wasn’t a comeback. I was just lucky to have this film come to me,” she says.
The Aranyak and Karmma Calling actor, however, is quick to add that doing a film like KGF: Chapter 2 “made a lot of difference” to her career. “After that, I did Patna Shukla. I’m glad that a film of the level of KGF: Chapter 2 was offered to me because it made such a difference. Besides being a commercial success, it was a different kind of cinema. Working with a fresh, new team that included Prashanth and Yash was a refreshing change for me. I’m so glad that it’s winning the recognition it deserves,” she elaborates.
Speaking of Kannada films at the 70th National Film Awards, Rishabh Shetty won Best Actor for Kantara, which also bagged the award for Best Popular Film. Congratulating him, Yash took to X and wrote, “Heartiest congratulations to all the winners of the National Awards. A special shoutout to our very own @shetty_rishab, @VKiragandur, Prashanth Neel, and the entire @hombalefilms team for the well-deserved recognition for Kantara and KGF 2. Here’s to many more heights. This is indeed Kannada cinema’s shining moment on the national stage!”
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