Best Leading Actor [Female] in A Regional Film
I had to make some
jumps with the female actors in supporting to lead as it was difficult to find
five out and out leading female performances in the limited number of regional
films I saw this year, which is still a sad fact.
The five women below
however turn out top class performances with finely etched characters behind
them.
So let's move onto
the Best Leading Actor [Female] in A Regional Film, and the nominees are…
Tilotama Shome as
Kanwar Singh for Qissa
Channeling the
charms of Dilip Kumar and bringing an infectious energy as well as a heart
wrenching pain to her role, Tilotama Shome once again proves why she is such an
understated talent.
The actress
completely loses herself, disintegrating her every imitable quality to turn
into a young man facing an identity crisis when she learns she is a woman. She
carries herself with a masculine gait, but that's just scratching the surface.
There are layers
upon layers, like an inception version of gender identity [to put it as
eloquently as possible] that Shome plays with giving her performance an
indefinable trait and making one actually believe in the plight of Kanwar.
As she sheds her
true self to the village, one's hand reaches out to her pain and in turn you
realize the kind of connect an actor should have with his/her audience.
Nithya Menen as Tara
Kalingarayar for O Kadhal Kanmani
Like a breath of
fresh air, Menen catches you right in the beginning of the film and never
letting go.
Despite the
infectious persona of Leela Samson through the film, the dignified presence of
Prakash Raj or another notch in the belt for Dulquer Salmaan, it's Menen who
strikes the heart beat with such a frenzy.
Her immense charisma
and screen presence is enough to make one fall in love with her,
notwithstanding her expressive features and body language. She adds just as
much as she does to the emotional beats as she does to the song sequences,
enhancing the works of A.R. Rahman.
How many actors can
truly do that? Only a countless few and now include Nithya Menen among them;
she is definitely here to stay.
Geetanjali Kulkarni
as Public Prosecutor Nutan for Court
The emotional heft
Kulkarni can bring to a role is unprecedented, so when a film Court cuts that
"bullshit" out the way; then what can one do?
Well if you're
Geetanjali Kulkarni, like a well oiled machine and a freaking chameleon; you
adapt. Kulkarni does adapt, and she adapts like a champion. Utilizing her
modulation prowess, she presents an interesting dichotomy between the law and
those lawyers sworn to uphold it. A simple form of diction allowing her to echo
the resentful point of an archaic system in place.
She never once
allows a subjectivity to be added to her performance, it's in the space of her
sequence in the film where the writing shines strongest [in a film that is near
perfect, mind you]; because she turns herself around to be part of the
narrative as if Nutan's life is being documented during this case.
It's a simple turn
no doubt, all the more made easier by a strong film but one that cannot be
taken for granted for the invisible effort that she adds to it.
Basabdatta
Chatterjee as The Woman for Asha Jaoar Majhe
Basbdatta brings a
feminine elegance to her portrayal of the Woman, this is no indictment on her
role. She is fascinating as the young wife taxing hard for the sake of her
household but with a burning yearning in her heart to meet her lover again.
Every move, every
process can be said to be thoughtfully calibrated in her mind as she enters the
lift closing it shut, peels the wrapper of a cake or searches for the house
key; straight away taking care of the place.
It's what you'd call
a felt performance, an internalization like no other that shows a lived in
performance by the actor making it genuinely authentic and a triumph for the
artist and her craft.
Amruta Subash as
Mother for Killa
[First of all,
forgive me if Amruta Subash's Mother character actually has a name, I am hard
pressed to remember it.]
One of the most
genius parts of Avinash Arun's growing years ode and examination is that we
aren't closeted by the lives of just Chinmay and his friends, we get to dissect
the struggles his widowed mother goes through at the same time.
It paints an
effective picture, allowing one to see how Subash is a sublime talent. She
imbues her characters with a melancholic loneliness and whips her into a
complete reconstruction and resurrection amidst them struggling to grapple with
her ever growing son.
It's a performance
that pushes her to create a great sense of communication between characters in
an arc seeing her fight back and reconcile, specifically in relation to
Deodar's Chinmay and Subash pulls that off like a master. But it is in the
sliver of lonely moments of silences, she comes onto her own providing a
complete portrait.
And the Winner is…
Geetanjali Kulkarni
as Public Prosecutor Nutan for Court!
This one was far
difficult than the male category, proving that even though there are
technically five performances in contention; they are all a tough breed.
So onto the next
one, but first I'd like to apologize for moving at a snail's pace. It is
becoming increasingly difficult with my work load, to blog but I am trying and
I will complete this show whether it takes me another month or so.
Up Next: An
examination on adventures of youth and growing pains, two children's pursuit
for happiness riding on a pizza, the day to day life of the people within and
operations of a local courthouse, the simple struggles of a young working
couple to meet and a tender relationship between a boy and his grandfather
broken by harsh realities...The HIndie Award for Best Screenplay in A Regional
Film
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