Mumbai, Maharashtra, (Date) – India’s most prestigious, Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards 2024 felicitated the most brilliant contributors to cinema with a grand ceremony on 20th February in Mumbai. Like every year, the annual award ceremony brought the heat with scintillating music and dance performances, outstanding red-carpet looks and above all an appreciation of the great talent and enormous effort put in year after year by all three prodigious segments – the Indian Film Industry, Indian Television Industry & International Film Fraternity.
The Best Actress Award was conferred to the evergreen Rani Mukerji for her outstanding performance in the drama film Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway. The film is one of the latest feathers in her cap. Her marvellous performance as the titular lead left movie-goers awestruck at the magnitude of her talent. She took on the assertive role with graceful ease and moved audiences with her performance as a mother willing to go to any lengths for her children.
On receiving the award, Rani shared on-stage, “I think Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway is an important film in terms of what Indians go through outside our country. When this story came to me, I was shocked to know that a mother was treated like this and that her kids were taken away from her. As a mother, this story touched me and I felt that this story should be told to everyone. And I did the film.”
She further added, “I had a lot of enthusiasm within me when I read the script of this film and when I got to know this story. When I was shooting, I just had one thing in mind – that I had to give more than my 100 per cent to bring the story of Sagarika onto the big screen and make it feel real and show it in a way that people forget me but see Devika Chatterjee in me. Hence it was important for me to become the character and I am very happy and thankful that the audience liked it and they gave so much love to Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway, to me, I am really grateful and very humbled with this award. Thank you, Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival for giving me this honour. It is always truly special to win an award, especially when the audiences love your work and they give you the award first through the box office, and second through these wonderful little mementoes for the film.”
Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards 2024 was the glorious culmination of creative endeavours with Cinematic Evolution as the theme. With musical performances by Javed Ali, Sukhwinder and Nikhita Gandhi, the evening celebrated the grand history and legacy of entertainment in India. The most brilliant minds of the industry and their projects over the past year were felicitated on a grand scale. The distinguished list of recipients also includes eminent figures such as Shah Rukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Moushumi Chatterjee, Nayanthara, Shahid Kapoor, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Sandeep Reddy Vanga amongst many others. Seasoned actors Jaaved Jaaferi and Aparshakti Khurana were the charming hosts of the evening who left the audience spellbound with their natural wit and humour.
Over the years, DPIFF has evolved into the country’s most prestigious award ceremony. DPIFF’s mission is to cultivate and promote the art and science of film through education and cross-cultural awareness. The vision behind the ceremony, as always, is to preserve and uphold the cinematic vision of the Father of Indian Cinema – Dadasaheb Phalke Ji. The ceremony is a vibrant showcase of India’s rich cultural diversity and its deep-seated heritage. It brings to the forefront the world-renowned Indian traditional folk dances, captivating folk music, exquisite handloom textiles and the inherent beauty of Swadeshi with indigenous craftsmanship.
