At the 71st National Awards, director Gaurav Narayanan, known for Thoonga Nagaram (2011) and Sigaram Thodu (2014), served as a jury member. The filmmaker vividly remembers the day he got a call from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. "I asked them if they were pranking me, but they assured the seriousness of it. They said that I would be sent a list of documents to verify and sign. However, I didn't receive anything for over ten days, and I thought this was just an elaborate joke," says Gaurav, whose doubts were assuaged when he did receive the official documents, and he realised the magnitude of the opportunity that came his way.
Fresh from the official announcement of the winners of the National Awards, Gaurav talked to Cinema Express about why certain films have better leverage over others, the intricate selection criteria for some categories, the need for better representation from Tamil cinema, and more.
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