Sooraj Barjatya: ‘I have truly climbed Mount Everest today’

Neena Gupta won the Best Supporting Actor award

Thirty years ago, filmmaker Sooraj Barjatya and actor Neena Gupta received their first National Award honours for Hum Aapke Hain Koun and Woh Chokri (1994), respectively. On Friday, they received their second National Award, this time for Uunchai (2022) - a film they collaborated on. The relationship drama earned Barjatya the Best Director honour, while Gupta won the Best Supporting Actor award at the 70th National Awards.

The award is particularly special for Barjatya as Uunchai marked his comeback after a seven-year gap. "When I was writing a film for Salman Khan, a voice inside me told me to make Uunchai. I felt it was time to offer movies that [come] from my soul rather than trying to make what sells. Uunchai is the most layered film that I have made. In my films, I usually take up happy moments of life and create a happy [movie] around it. This is the first time that I had a clear story with such strong and layered characters," he says of the film, which also stars Amitabh Bachchan, Anupam Kher, Boman Irani, Danny Denzongpa, Parineeti Chopra, and Sarika. Barjatya recalls a journalist once telling him that stories of friendship are usually made with youngsters but rarely with older people.

Sooraj Barjatya won the award in the Best Director category for Uunchai (2022)

Gupta, who has had an eventful career since 1982, has starred in several unconventional films. She began her second innings in cinema with Amit Sharma's Badhaai Ho (2018), which catapulted her back into the limelight. "Uunchai was not just a story of four people. It touched on so many truths and had several layers. [My character] is visiting her daughter's house for her birthday, but she doesn't want the mother to be in the presence of her friends. This happens a lot in life," says the actor. Gupta's evolution also defies the ageist norms in the industry, which often regards women as dispensable after a certain age. Despite her achievements, the actor remains humble. She shares, "I feel I should look at myself through other people's eyes, but I can't. I believe that if I keep working, I will be rewarded one day. The National Award is a big reward for my work, but that doesn't get people to queue up to work with me. However, it does earn me a lot of respect."

Winning the award, Barjatya feels not only humbled but also excited for the next chapter of his career. "When Hum Aapke Hain Koun won the National Award for [Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment], the rush and happiness I felt as a young director was crazy. Today, there is a sense of gratitude and calmness. It's a great honour to be chosen among the best [filmmakers] of our country. It unites our industry because it is a celebration of films made in every language. I feel I have truly climbed Mount Everest today. This immense recognition belongs to my entire team of senior actors and technicians, who braved the pandemic and shot at unheard locations with me. After 35 years, I still feel that I'm not done yet. There are so many more stories to tell," he smiles.