From Arbaaz Khan and Arindam Chaudhuri to Anant Mahadevan and Aishwarya Narkar, they all said that receiving a National Film Award from President Pratiba Patil on Friday was a 'fantastic moment'.
Hindi blockbuster Dabangg starring Salman Khan won the Best Popular Film Award.
'It feels great and it has been a fantastic journey,' said Arbaaz when asked to describe the journey of his debut production Dabangg from box office hits to popular awards to national awards.
Malaika Arora Khan, and director Abhinav Kashyap were also present to receieve the award for Dabangg.
Arindam Chaudhuri's production Do Dooni Char won the Best Hindi Film Award and he said: 'I feel lucky. Awards are an added incentive.'
'We have just bought the rights of a book called Lashkar. It's a best seller and I hope the film will also be a best seller. Nothing has been finalised yet, we have just started scripting,' added the producer whose The Last Lear and Faltu had won National Awards in different categories.
Producer Arindam Chaudhuri came dressed in a navy blue, velvet attire to accept the award for Best Hindi film for Rishi and Neetu Kapoor-starrer Do Dooni Char. The movie's director, Habib Faisal, too was present.
Actress Aishwarya Narkar, who is currently seen in Star Plus show Dor as protagonist Avni's mother, produced Champions, which won the best film on social issues award.
'Child labour and child education are important issues. Government is making efforts to erase child labour but as a citizen of our country we should also do something. And that is the reason I decided to produce the film,' she said.
Director-composer Vishal Bharadwaj accepted the honour for Best Music Direction for Ishqiya, and his wife Rekha, received the Best Female Playback Singer award for the song Badi sheere jali from the same film.
Singer Suresh Wadekar was present to receive the Best Male Playback Singer honour for the song Hey bhaskara kshitijavari ya from Marathi movie Mee Sindhutai Sapkal.
Anant Mahadevan, who has completed 30 years in showbiz, said that it had been a long and tough journey and finally received the National Award for his film Mee Sindhutai Sapkal, a biopic on Sindhutai Sapkal, known as the mother of orphans.
'The degree of cinematic success I have received with Mee Sindhutai Sapkal is great, but the greatest has yet to come. Now I am planning to make a film on Gaur Hari Dastan, a freedom fighter,' he said.
Actors Zarina Wahab and Deepti Naval too, were spotted at the event hosted by Rajat Kapoor and Mahie Gill.
Text: IANS
Images: PTI
