Don’t give Sridevi an award because she died, it's unfair on other girls: Shekhar Kapur

As the 65th National Film Award was announced today, there was a mixed reaction to late Sridevi winning the Best Actress award for her performance in the hit film MOM.

While many congratulated the jury for honouring Sridevi posthumously, many felt that it was merely done as she was in fact, no more. The jury head of the National Film Award, Shekhar Kapur also revealed that he was of the same sentiment, of not awarding Sridevi as there were many other deserving actresses who delivered breathtaking performances and who needed this award as part of a career boost.

As reported by a leading daily, Shekhar Kapur while announcing Sridevi’s name said, "The best actress is Sridevi for Mom and I promise you it is not my relationship with her. Every morning when I came here, I would ask everyone to vote once again. I would look at all the actors, talk about them and I would say, ‘there should be not Sridevi, not Sridevi’! We used to take a vote and it always came back to Sridevi. It was me who fought that it shouldn’t be Sridevi. We are all emotionally involved with Sridevi. I used to say, ‘don’t give her an award because she died, it is unfair on the other girls’. They have also worked hard for 10-12 years, they too have a career."

After Sridevi won the award, her family issued a joint statement that read:

“We are overjoyed to know that the Jury has conferred the Best Actor Award to Sridevi for her performance in ‘MOM’. It’s a very special moment for all of us. She was always a perfectionist and it showed in all the 300 plus films she did. She was not just a Super Actor but a Super Wife and a Super Mom. It’s time to celebrate her life and her achievements. She is not with us today but her legacy will always live on.

We thank the Government of India, the Hon’ble Jury Members for thishonour. We also take this opportunity to thank all our friends, her fans who have been sending us congratulatory messages.

Thank you,

Janhvi, Khushi & Boney Kapoor”

Apart from Sridevi, Vinod Khanna was conferred with the coveted Dadasaheb Phalke Award posthumously. The actor passed away in 2017 following a prolonged illness.

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