Manasi Parekh, who began her acting career 20 years ago, has been honoured as the Best Actress (In A Leading Role) for her Gujarati film, Kutch Express, at the 70th National Film Awards. The film, which was also produced by her, bagged two more awards – Best Feature Film Promoting National, Social and Environmental Values; and Best Costume Design. Manasi, who had earlier stated that she began crying on hearing the news, now exclusively tells News18 Showsha that it took 48 hours for the feeling to finally sink in.
She says, “This is the moment I’ve been working for for the past 20 years. You don’t talk about these things until they happen and now that it has happened, I can say that I was working towards it with each project I shot for. I feel so satisfied, powerful, and humbled all at once because in a country of 133 million people, I get to be the best actress in 2024, and that’s no mean feat. It’s unreal!”
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Kutch Express also starred Ratna Pathak Shah and Darsheel Safary. Manasi reveals getting on a video call with the veteran actress upon the announcement. Talking about how team of Kutch Express reacted to it, she shares, “All of us are so happy and proud. We were talking about how we always knew that it was a special film and all of us worked on it with full attention to every detail. Everybody was so involved. I think it was that collective energy and vibe that made us win.”
And what has the reaction been from her colleagues from the film fraternity? “My peers have been so encouraging! In fact, the first message I got was from Anand Tiwari, who recently directed Bad Newz. I got messages from Vidya Balan, Paresh Rawal, Pankaj Kapur, Supriya Pathak, Mohit Raina, and Amruta Khanwalkar and my actor friends Malhar Thakar, Pratik Gandhi and Arohi Patel. They’ve all been so kind. All of this means the world to me. August 16, 2024, is a date I’ll never forget for the rest of my life,” exclaims Manasi.
The last time a Gujarati film was honoured at the National Awards was Hellaro in 2019. Manasi believes that became an important ‘step forward’. “Hellaro won the Best Feature Film award. But Kutch Express won three awards. It’s the only Gujarati film in the last 70 years to have won three National Awards in the same year. With Hellaro, there was an incredible acknowledgment of the Gujarati industry,” she states.
Hoping for Gujarati cinema to garner national and even international prominence in the near future, the Sumit Sambhal Lega and India Calling actor adds, “And now with Kutch Express getting these honours, people are going to definitely realise that our industry isn’t going to be as small-scale as it has been. It’s going to go big and international. I, as an actor and producer, am aiming for that because we’ve incredible writers and artists and they need to come out for the world to see.”
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