Kolkata, Dec 2: Actor Rani Mukherjee was adjudged the best female actor of Bollywood for the role of the no nonsense reporter in ‘No One Killed Jessica' and Zoya Akhtar the best director (Hindi) for ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara' at Eastern India's premier entertainment awards.
“It is a huge honour for me. This is the first award for me in this category. No director works alone. I owe this award to my cast and crew,” Akhtar said at the Boroplus Anandlok Purashkar last evening.
Asked by award show anchor Mir if she liked adventure sports like the three main characters in the film, Akhtar said “I am not much into adventure sports.
“For me adventure lies in travelling the maximum number of countries,” the young director said of the film having friendship, love, coming-of-age and travel as its mainstay.
The young film-maker also praised Kolkata for some of the country's prolific story-tellers.
Echoing her Mukherjee, whose portrayal of Meera as a strong, independent woman prodding the establishment to review the murder case of model-bartender Jessica, said “I am honoured to be awarded for the role in a film like Jessica in my favourite city.”
Actor Kangana Ranaut received a special award, for her role in ‘Tanu Weds Manu' opposite Madhavan.
“I will never forget I got an award for the film. It's a very special day in my life, the ‘Gangster' and ‘Fashion' actor said.
Last year's IFFI golden peacock winner and recipient of national award for national integration ‘Moner Manush', on balladeer Lalon Fakir in the 19th century, by Goutam Ghosh got the best film cap while Bengali superstar Prosenjit received the best actor award for his role as Lalon in the period film.
The best actor (female) in Bengali films went to Sohini Sengupta for her portrayal as an obsessed mother in Ichhe.
“This honour goes to all those who have made the film, and the audience who have made Ichhe running successfully for over 50 days with houseful boards at theatres across Bengal,” Sengupta, a theatre personality, said.
Upcoming Bengali singer Anupam Roy, who first created a sensation with his chartbuster song Amake Amar Mato Thakte Dao, received the best song of the year award for his number Bariye dao tomar haat in the film Chalo Paltai.
Young director Raj Chakroborty got the best director (Bengali) award for the potboiler Shatru.
The best film (Bengali) award went to another commercial film Paglu by Rajiv Kumar.
The Anandalok Purashkar is in its 14th year of felicitating the best of the best on the silver screen, television and music.
