JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL
Paresh Rawal recalls losing National Award to Mammootty due to lobbying: 'Khel khela jata hai...'
Paresh Rawal opens up about losing a National Award for Sardar despite early confirmation, blaming lobbying and politics behind the scenes.
Paresh Rawal recently opened up about a moment in the early 1990s when he lost out on the National Award despite initially being told he had won. In a conversation with The Lallantop, the actor shared that he was once the frontrunner for the Best Actor award for his performance in Sardar. However, it was Malayalam superstar Mammootty who ultimately bagged the award.
Rawal recalled receiving an early morning call while shooting in Mauritius in 1993 or 1994. It was producer Mukesh Bhatt who informed him that he was set to receive the National Award for the film Sir. Just as he was absorbing the news, another call came, this time from filmmaker Kalpana Lajmi. She told him he had won the Best Actor award for Sardar, directed by Ketan Mehta. “Sardar ke liye? Ketan Mehta ki film ke liye?” (For Sardar? The one directed by Ketan Mehta?), Rawal asked her, to which she confirmed, “Haan, Ketan Mehta ki film ke liye” (Yes, for Ketan Mehta’s film).
Naturally elated, Rawal returned to Delhi only to find that he was being awarded solely for Sir and not for Sardar. Confused, he reached out to people from the industry, including director Ketan Mehta, film critic Khalid Mohamed, and filmmaker Shyam Benegal, to understand what went wrong. Even they were unaware of the sudden change. It was politician T. Subbarami Reddy who finally gave him an explanation.
According to Rawal, Reddy told him, “Aap logon ne lobby nahi kiya. Humne kiya... aggressive lobby... aur Mammootty ko mila” (You people didn’t lobby. We did aggressive lobbying and Mammootty got it). The award for Best Actor in 1994 went to Mammootty for Vidheyan and Ponthan Mada.
Rawal shared that although he respects the National Awards, he is aware of the behind-the-scenes politics. “National Award mein kabhi kabhi kya hota hai, technicalities—kisi ne bheji nahi thi film. Vo sab gandagi hoti hai. Khel khela jata hai...” (Sometimes, there are technical issues at the National Awards — like a film not being submitted. That’s all part of the mess. People play games). He added that lobbying is rampant, not just in India but even at the Oscars, so it’s no surprise that it happens in the country as well.
Despite the disappointment, the actor said he has moved on. For him, real recognition comes from his peers. “Meri life mein award kya hai ki Naseer bhai raat ko 11:30–12 baje phone karenge Mumbai Meri Jaan dekh kar… ‘Paresh, kya perform kiya’… mera pait bhar jaata hai...” (What matters in my life is when Naseer Bhai calls at midnight after watching Mumbai Meri Jaan and says, ‘Paresh, what a performance’—that’ fills my heart). Similarly, he recalled Om Puri appreciating his work, which he says feels more rewarding than any formal award.
Latest Articles
