At the 65th National Awards, Amit V Masurkar’s Newton won the Best Hindi Film, while Pankaj Tripathi was conferred with a Special Mention for his performance as a cynical CRPF commandant Aatma Singh.
In an interaction with News18.com, Pankaj Tripathi shared that he burst into tears when he was informed about his big win. “I cried when I received the news. I didn’t have my phone with me and Saurabh Shukla informed me about it. I had no idea I was even in contention.”
“I asked him again and again if the news is true so that I could speak to my parents. It feels great when your work gets honoured. I’m not in the state to give correct answers but I’m really happy for the win. It’s a special victory,” he said.
Jury chairperson and filmmaker Shekhar Kapur said that the main character would not have been as strong without the support of Pankaj's character.
Filmmaker Amit also expressed his elation and hoped that this win will create a bigger space for relevant political cinema in today’s time. “I want to thank the jury for awarding Newton the National Award for Best Hindi Film. I hope this award and the film’s commercial success creates a bigger space for relevant political cinema.”
“This wouldn’t have been possible without an incredible cast, crew and the love and support from the people of Chhatisgarh where we shot the film,” he added.
Produced by Manish Mundra and starring Rajkummar Rao, the film revolves around a young government clerk, who is sent on election duty to a Maoist-controlled town. The backdrop might be election voting, but the film doesn’t confine itself to it and pans through various other elements of the current political and social scenario of the country – dowry, child marriage, and corruption among other things.
The film was also selected as India's official entry in the Best Foreign Language Film category for Oscars 2018, but didn't make it to the final shortlist.
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