News18 Showsha Reel Awards are back after a short hiatus, and they promise to be bigger, better and grander. This year, the awards will celebrate the growing bond between the world of over-the-top (OTT) platforms and the Hindi film industry, as we honour all achievers and stars on February 25 (Saturday) in Mumbai. The awards will bring together the greatest talents of Bollywood and the OTT platforms under one roof, for the first time.
The past year-and-a-half saw filmmakers make some daring attempts, and News18 Showsha Reel Awards salute their courage. The nominees for Best Director in Popular Choice category are:
Rohit Shetty (Sooryavanshi): Over the years, Rohit Shetty has become a genre, with his brand of action, comedy and masala films. Sooryavanshi saw him add one more Bollywood bigwig – Akshay Kumar — to his cop universe. The fourth installment of Shetty’s cop universe, Sooryavanshi shows Akshay Kumar as ATS chief DCP Veer Sooryavanshi opposite Katrina Kaif, with Ajay Devgn and Ranveer Singh returning as Singham and Simmba. After several delays due to the pandemic, it finally released theatrically in November 2021. The film received mixed to positive reviews from critics and went on to become the highest grossing Hindi film of 2021.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali (Gangubai Kathiawadi): Bhansali is an absolute magician of filmmaking. He depicted the life of Gangubai Kothewali on the big screen with this film, based on the book Mafia Queens of Mumbai written by S. Hussain Zaidi. Gangubai Kathiawadi received critical acclaim with praise for the performances, music (also by Bhansali), production design, cinematography, storyline and direction. In its theatrical run, the film grossed Rs 153.69 crore at the domestic box office and Rs 209.77 globally, emerging as a commercial success, a rare feat achieved by a women-centric movie, especially in the post-pandemic era.
Ayan Mukerji (Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva): The young director, who made his debut at the age of 26 with the coming-of-age comedy Wake Up Sid (2009), has come a long way. The Brahmastra trilogy is the biggest project of his career. Mukerji spent a decade working on the film – from conceptualization to release, which was delayed several times due to the pandemic. The movie proved to be the biggest post-pandemic blockbuster in Bollywood (till Pathaan came along), dazzling audiences with the scale, VFX and the Astraverse that is Mukerji’s brainchild. Kudos to him for attempting a film in the fantasy-superhero genre that is rooted in Indian culture.
Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri (The Kashmir Files): After The Tashkent Files, Vivek Agnihotri took on the daunting task of telling a story not many wanted to hear, and shook the nation with it. Written and directed by Agnihotri, the film presents a fictional storyline centered around the 1990s exodus of Kashmiri Hindus from Indian-administered Kashmir. It depicts the exodus and the events leading up to the genocide. Agnihotri spoke to several survivors of the exodus and based the story on their first-person accounts. The Kashmir Files went on to become a commercial success, grossing Rs 340.92 crore worldwide, becoming the third highest-grossing Hindi film of 2022.
Kabir Khan (83): Another cinematic marvel from the past year, although quite affected by the pandemic, 83 had an impact. Kabir Khan tells the story of India’s historic win at the 1983 Cricket World Cup, putting together a never-seen-before cast of actors who took on the roles of the real-life cricketers on reel. Ranveer Singh plays the role of Kapil Dev, the Captain of the Indian Cricket Team. 83 received widespread critical acclaim, but the pandemic affected its run in the theatres. Critics and audiences praised the performances of the cast, screenplay, direction and technical aspects.
Jasmeet K Reen (Darlings): This debutante director made her way among the bigwigs with her very first feature film, Darlings. The Netflix release was backed by Shah Rukh Khan and Alia Bhatt, who also starred in the film. Darlings got everyone talking, by presenting hard-hitting issues such as domestic violence in the form of a dark comedy. The characters she created – Badru, Hamza, Shamsu and Zulfi – each one has left an impact and the credit goes to the director. Critics praised the well-rounded effort by Jasmeet and the audience related to the very real narrative.
Vote for your favourite nominee at www.news18.com/reel-awards-2023.
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