SHILLONG, MAY 3: “Onaatah” – of the earth, a Khasi film directed by national award winning director Pradip Kurbah on Tuesday received the Rajat Kamal Silver Lotus Award at the 63rd National Film Awards ceremony.
The award was presented by the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee to Pomu Das, veteran producer, and one of the key figures responsible for revival of commercial film through his film ‘Ka Mon Ba Jwat’, and proud father along with his son Pradip Kurbah.
The film bags the category for best feature film in each of the language other than those specified in the Schedule VIII of the Constitution.
Declaring the list of winners earlier, Ramesh Sippy, Chairperson of jury for Feature category of NFA had commented, “I must say that all of us were taken up with this film. It’s a very admirable effort, and the way it has been dealt with, very sensitively and very nicely. It is indeed one of the nicest films I have seen.”
It may be mentioned that individuals delving extensively into film making have portrayed great appreciation for the film.
Cherry Kordor, Head of Department, Media Department at St. Anthony’s College was ecstatic to have been able to showcase the film in the college for school and college students recently, wherein public review was very positive to say the least.
“Onaatah has taken film making in Meghalaya to a different level altogether. We can now proudly say that this is the kind of quality production one can hope for from the State of Meghalaya. I am sure the film will be remembered for a long time to come.”
Yet another renowned film critic, Rangdajied Blah opined, “I have never seen such an honest film, a film that you will feel bad when it ends. It is not a sitcom or a romcom masquerading as one, or yet another meaningless Khasi or Jaintia film. It’s a film that is intensely local and gloriously global, with a terrific control of the art by Pradip Kurbah. A film truly deserves more than a national award for Best Khasi film. People in Delhi should try not to miss this gem from the state, that I can proudly say that it’s our very own film from the land of clouds.”
While the film would be a first national award winning film for lead actress Sweety Jane Pala, Onaatah is the second such experience for lead actor Merlvin Jude Mukhim who had also played the leading role in ‘Ri’.
Onaatah is scheduled to be screened at the Habitat Film Festival, New Delhi and also as the opening film at upcoming Kharam Loya Film Festival KLFF2016, Manipur before traveling for festivals scheduled at Hong Kong, Egypt and Poland.
The film will be released in Shillong theatres on May 13.-By Our Reporter
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