A proud moment for Assam :
| Seema Biswas wins top Canadian film award for 'Water' |
| From Utpal Borpujari DH News Service New Delhi: |
Seema Biswas has won the Best Actress Genie at Canadas National Film Awards for her performance in Deepa Mehtas Water.
This is perhaps the first time that an Indian has won the best actress honour at a national film awards competition in another country. Water was nominated in eight categories, including best picture and best director, but this is the only award it won.
Ms Biswas, who was informed about the award by Ms Mehta and the films producer David Hamilton from Canada, told Deccan Herald: The nomination itself was a big surprise and honour for me as mine was not a major role in the film, and the award has come as an even bigger surprise.
This is perhaps the first time that an Indian has won the best actress honour at a national film awards competition in another country. Water was nominated in eight categories, including best picture and best director, but this is the only award it won.
Ms Biswas, who was informed about the award by Ms Mehta and the films producer David Hamilton from Canada, told Deccan Herald: The nomination itself was a big surprise and honour for me as mine was not a major role in the film, and the award has come as an even bigger surprise.
Ms Biswas, who is currently shooting in Chennai with Sharath Kumar for the Balaji-directed Tamil Film Talaimagan, which is the 100th home production of the Sharath Kumar-Radhika duo, was declared the winner at the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television 2005 Genie Awards ceremony held in Toronto on Monday.
Nobody here seems to know about it, and I am getting calls from my mother and sister in Assam asking me why no TV channel has aired the news yet, the actress told over telephone. The award was received on her behalf by Lisa Ray, who has a major role in Water.
Ms Biswas, who first shot to fame through the title role in Shekhar Kapoors Bandit Queen, which fetched her the Best Actress award at the National Film Awards in the late 1990s, is also shooting for Sooraj Barjatyas latest directorial venture Vivaha.
David and Deepa were so excited when they called me up to inform that I have won the award. They repeatedly told me that I should trust them more, because I had been telling them that mine was not a major role and they had been telling me that my performance counted more than the length of the role, Ms Biswas said.
The award will be brought to India by Mr Hamilton who will attend the March 23-30 International Film Festival, Mumbai, where Water is the closing film. I am not sure if I can attend the festival since I will be doing an outdoor schedule of Vivaha in Nainital at that time, Ms Biswas said.
- Utpal Borpujari / New Delhi
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