It is a day of celebrations for the Sardar Udham team as the film has won five big awards at the 68th National Awards. The biographical drama starring Vicky Kaushal won the Best Hindi Film award as well as the awards for Best Cinematography (Avik Mukhopadhyay), Best Audiography (Sinoy Joseph), Best Production Design (Dmitrii Malich and Mansi Dhruv Mehta) and Best Costume Design (Veera Kapur Ee).
In an exclusive conversation with News18, director Shoojit Sircar talks about the big win and dedicates the award to his late friend and actor Irrfan Khan who was the original choice to play the role of Sardar Uddham.
Congratulations on winning big at the National Film Awards. Has the feeling sunk in yet?
Sardar Udham has received five National Film Awards and I cannot ask for more. When a cinematographer, audiographer, art director, and costume designer are appreciated and acknowledged, it just proves that cinema is a collaborative art. It is a collaboration of many minds who share the same vision for a film. I am just happy for the entire team.
You have been wanting to make a film on Sardar Udham Singh for almost 21 years. It took you five years to write the script. Does the National Award win validate your hard work?
It does validate that this film is going to be alive for many years to come with such recognitions coming in. Many haven’t yet seen the film and might do it now after hearing about this win. This is an honour that the entire team of Sardar Udham will cherish for the rest of their lives.
Does it also make you courageous as a director to tell stories that you want to?
Yes, it does. It also allows us to be as uncompromising as possible while telling stories. And I have tried that in all my films whether it is Vicky Donor, Pink, Piku or October. We have always tried to tell stories of various genres. Sardar Udham is a special film because we can present the story of a revolutionary the way we thought he would have been, which is a normal boy next door who witnesses such a devastating incident and what his reaction is which is normal and natural. He is an ordinary man who becomes a revolutionary. I always call this film a protest story and not a revenge story.
Lastly, did you speak to Vicky Kaushal?
Yes, he is in London. As soon as he got the news, he called me. I am sitting with Ronnie Lahiri and Sheel Kumar (producers of the film) and we are dedicating this award to Irrfan Khan. I haven’t had the time to speak to Sutupa (Sikdar, Irrfan’s wife) as I am getting many calls but I will soon speak to her.
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