Chhichhore was declared the Best Hindi Film at the 67th National Film Awards on Monday. Producer Sajid Nadiadwala and actor Varun Sharma dedicated the victory to late Sushant Singh Rajput, lead actor of the film.
"On behalf of NGE (Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment), I dedicate this extremely prestigious award to Sushant Singh Rajput. We can't get over his loss ever but I sincerely pray that this award gives a little bit of happiness to his family and fans which includes me. And I am tremendously grateful to Nitesh Tiwari for giving us all this very special movie," Said Sajid, in a statement released to the press.
Varun said, "This is a huge validation and we are truly overwhelmed. This win means the world to us. But above all of this, this one is for Kammo (Varun's character would call Sushant as Kammo in the film), and will always remain closest to our hearts."
"Chhichhore is one of the most special films of my career. We had a lovely time shooting for the film. We are thrilled to have won the National Film Award for the Best Hindi Film," he added.
Chhichhore had a theatrical release on September 6, 2019. Sushant died on June 14, 2020.
Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, the feel-good dramedy is about a bunch of friends who were labeled losers in college and delivers a strong message against suicide.
Chhichhore also features Shraddha Kapoor, Varun Sharma, Tahir Raj Bhasin, Prateik Babbar, Tushar Pandey and Naveen Polishetty in key roles.
The awards were initially going to be held in May last year but were delayed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic. The awards are held by the Directorate of Film Festivals, an organization that comes under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
-with IANS inputs
