BANGALORE: Umashree has bagged the best actress award in the 55th national awards for her performance in the film Gulabi Talkies. The film also won the best Kannada film award.
It is the first Indian film to get selected for screening at all international film festivals held recently.
The film had also won Karnataka state award. Umashree had got the Karnataka state award for her performance in Putnanja, more than a decade ago.
Umashree told Express on Monday that she thanked director Girish Kasaravalli for selecting her to play the key character in ‘Gulabi Talkies’.
“I am very happy. I think that all Kannadigas are happy for my national award,” said Umashree. Basantkumar Patil had produced Gulabi Talkies.
When asked whether the national award would make her selective in choosing characters in films, Umashree said, “I will continue my method of selection which I have been following since my first film.
I think that there will be no need for me to change my method of selecting films or characters in films.”
Prakashraj Roots For Kannada
Prakashraj, who bagged the national award for best actor for his performance in the Tamil film ‘Kanchivaram’, said that though he was thrilled with the honour, he would have been thrilled even more if he had got it for a Kannada film. He told reporters at Kenchammanahosakote in Alur taluk that he was initially apprehensive when Malayalam director Priyadarshan approached him with the script. “But all apprehensions were removed after I read the script. The entire crew deserves the accolades,” he said. Replying to a query, he said that national awards are within the reach of Kannada film industry if producers and directors are keen on making good films.