Filmfare award has long been criticised for their inability to award people based on merit.
Boasted-off as the oldest mainstream award show in the Hindi film industry, critics have often pointed out how these awards are given to actors and movies, either based on their star-quality or their box-office turnout.
Movies that fail to make a mark at the box office – however great they may be, don’t get the acknowledgement in most of these mainstream awards, as they continue to chase glamour and big names, perhaps in a bid to attract more viewership in their telecast.
A lack of transparency in the selection process or the absence of a proper voting/selection process, for that matter, is the biggest factor which contributes to such a random, vague and allegedly partial turnout.
But without getting any deeper into that, we’re going to look at some of the biggest and most unforgivable mishaps in Filmfare history. Times when those actors and movies – who were undoubtedly the ‘best of the year’, failed to get that kind of acknowledgement.
Manoj Bajpayee For Gangs Of Wasseypur
Manoj Bajpayee created one one of the most iconic characters in recent India movie history, with this Anurag Kashyap directed modern-day classic. But the award that year was given to Ranbir Kapoor for Barfi for an over-the-top portrayal. What was even more shocking was that the likes of Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan were nominated for Dabangg 2 and Jab Tak Hai Jaan respectively – which made the whole thing, even more laughable.
Seema Biswas For Bandit Queen
One of the most raw and gritty female performances of the 90’s, came from Seema Biswas. But she was apparently not ‘heroine enough’ for a glamour-obsessed jury, which went on to award Karishma Kapoor for the movie Raja Hindustani. Just draw a comparison between the two performances yourself and you’ll know what we’re talking about.
Anupam Kher For Khosla Ka Ghosla
Anupam Kher was not even nominated for his heart-rendering and naturally comical performance in Khosla Ka Ghosla. The scene in which he ventures into an argument with his son over a glass of whisky, alone made him deserving of all the awards that year. Instead the Filmfare award for Best Actor that year was given to Hrithik Roshan for Dhoom 2. Yes Dhoom 2! A movie that any sane-minded person can not find eligible for any kind of awards of accolades at all – except may be for special effects.
Kalki Koechlin For Margarita With a Straw
Kalki Koechline’s performance was awe-inspiring and heartbreaking as a hopelessly romantic student, suffering from Cerebral Palsy. Kalki’s performance was so extraordinary, that within few minutes into the movie you would forget that she’s actually an able-bodied woman. Even Kangana Ranaut delivered arguably the most distinguished and realistic performance in a double role, in Tanu Weds Manu Returns, that year. Her perfect command over the ‘Jaat accent’ and her embodiment of the role of Datto, helped her transform into a different person altogether. And yet the award for ‘Best Actress’ that year was given to Deepika Padukone – who was basically just herself, and carried a single constipated expression from start to end in her film, ‘Piku,’
Richa Chaddha For Masaan
Richa Chaddha was splendid in Masaan – in a year filled with amazing female performances on celluloid. But she was not even nominated that year at the Filmfare for ‘Best Actress’, instead you saw Sonam Kapoor nominated for Dolly Ki Doli (Remeber that move? Yea.. we neither). It is the same year Deepika won for ‘Piku’.
Irrfan Khan For Paan Singh Tomar
The same year Manoj Bajpayee was ditched in the ‘Best Actor’ category for Gangs Of Wasseypur, the legendary Irrfan Khan was also nominated for one of the best performances in his career in ‘Paan Singh Tomar’ – the award went to neither of these two acting titans, and was handed to Ranbir Kapoor instead.
Paresh Rawal For Oye Lucky Lucky Oye
Paresh Rawal was absolutely awe-inspiring in Oye Lucky Lucky Oye, especially when he transformed into a heist/robbery gang leader cum karaoke singer. In the ‘Best Supporting Actor’ category, Paresh was not even nominated, while Arjun Rampal won that year for Rock On!! – if that doesn’t sound bad enough, the category also saw Tushar Kapoor nominated for Golmaal Returns, and Paresh was not in sight.
Vicky Kaushal For Masaan
First of all – Filmfare shouldn’t have a vague category like ‘Best Debut Male or Female’ in the first place, as it should try to limit giving away awards to just for the sake of pleasing everybody. One category for Best Actor should suffice – which also means they should totally do away with a separate ‘Critics Choice’ awards. But even if it had to exist, it made absolutely no sense to give it away to Aditya Pancholi’s son Sooraj Pancholi for his wooden act in the Salman Khan sponsored flick ‘Hero’ in 2016, when the same year we had witnessed an unforgettable breakthrough performance by Vicky Kaushal – in the beautifully directed – Masaan. Just how does that happen in this universe?
Manoj Bajpayee For Aligarh
Basically anybody who performed in the year 2015 did not stand a chance in outperforming Manoj Bajpayee in Aligarh. The naturally gifted and organic actor delivered a layered, complex performance – and perhaps his most challenging one yet, in this Hansal Mehta directed biopic. The Filmfare award for ‘Best Actor’ this year was given to – Ranveer Singh for Bajirao Mastani – for yet another over-the-top portrayal. Can’t wrap your mind around the fact? We neither!
Irrfan Khan for Maqbool
One of the best movies released in the year 2003 – was Mabool, and it far outdid all mainstream movies that seemed to have won all accolades the following year, which included potboilers like – Kal Ho Na Ho and Koi.. Mil Gaya. The following year, Hrithik Roshan was awarded the ‘Best Actor’ award for his cringy and “typically-Bollywood” performance as someone who was supposed to be mentally challenged. Even Naseeruddin Shah could have been recognised this year for his performance in Teen Deewarein, but the mainstream awards were stuck with a movie – that had brought in the biggest moolah at the box office. Is that really how it works?
These are only ‘some’ of the instances of a vast history of eyebrow-raising choices by what could have been turned into a prestigious recognition for Indian cinema achievers. But instead – the image of Filmfare awards have been dragged into the mud- by such choices, which history is certainly not going to forgive.
Which of these snubs at the Filmfare awards did surprise you the most?