National Film Awards in a 'fix' again

JURY FURY: National Award jury member Shyamali Banerjee says the awards are fixed.

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New Delhi: The much-delayed 53rd National Awards have run into trouble once again.

Kolkata-based National Award jury member Shyamali Banerjee has filed a petition in the Delhi High court on Monday charging the jury of corruption and fixing the awards.

"There is a nexus and lot of pressure on the officials from the filmmakers and producers. The way the films were randomly chosen, there had to be some force behind it. I have no proof but I can feel it," says Banerjee.

Banerjee had earlier written a letter to the Ministry of Information and Broadcast opposing the selection of the jury's choice for the nominee in best direction category and Indira Gandhi Award for Best First Film - rumoured to have gone to Rahul Dholakia for Parzania and Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s Parineeta respectively.

The critic also listed out Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Black claiming that National Award cannot be given to the film or its actors as the it is an adaptation of a Hollywood film.

Earlier Amitabh Bachchan was rumoured to have bagged National Award for Best Actor for the movie.

“It was clearly stated in the regulations of the National Awards that any film that is an adaptation should not be given an award and should not even be considered. I felt Black is an adaptation from a film from 1960s,” Banerjee says.

The Delhi High Court will hear Banerjee’s petition on Tuesday and the ministry of Information and broadcasting has refused to comment on the issue.

The 53rd National film Awards for the films made in 2005 were to be announced on the May 12.

(With Shreya Dhoundiyal)