 "At 70 years, Bhaskar (played by Bachchan) is at an age when one typically stops apologising for anything")
Amitabh Bachchan and Kangana Ranaut have won the 2015 National Award for Best Actor and Actress, respectively, for their roles in Piku and Tanu Weds Manu Returns.
The awards, which were announced Monday, also named Sanjay Leela Bhansali as Best Director for his opulently mounted Bajirao Mastani, while the mythological action drama Bahubali won as Best Film.
Yash Raj Film’s Dum Laga ke Haisha, directed by Sharad Katariya and starring Ayushmann Khurana, won best Hindi film.
Juhi Chaturvedi for Piku and Himanshu Sharma for Tanu Weds Manu Returns won two National Awards apiece for Best Original Screenplay and Best Screenplay (Dialogues).
The Kabir Khan-directed Salman Khan starrer Bajrangi Bhaijaan, in which Khan plays a vegetarian Hindu who battles the odds to get a lost Pakistani girl across the border back to her family, won for the weightily-titled Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment
This the fourth National Award for Bachchan, who is enjoying a remarkable second innings as an actor after first making his mark as an iconic Angry Young Man in the ‘70s and quickly rising to being one of India’s top actors. After a brief stint as a producer via ABCL that went horribly wrong, Bachchan has made a comeback with a wide range of roles, some of which appeal to the popular sections of the box-office, while others have garnered praise from critics and more serious cinema goers.
He has earlier won for Agneepath, in which he plays a criminal don out for revenge; Black, in which he plays a former alcoholic who tutors a blind deaf-mute; and for Paa, in which plays a child who ages rapidly because of pregeria, a rare genetic disorder.
Sudeep Chaterjee won Best Cinematographer for Bajirao Mastani, while veteran music director Illaiyaraaja won the National Award for best Music Direction (Background score) for his work in Thaarai Thapattai
Late Kishore T E won the Best Editing award for Visaranai. Duronto took home the honours for Best Children's film.
