Actress Sharmila Tagore expressed her heartfelt gratitude after her comeback film ‘Gulmohar’ won the National Award for Best Hindi Film at the 70th National Film Awards. Speaking to indiatoday.in, the veteran actress, who played Kusum Batra in the film, said that it is proof that good work always gets recognition and appreciation.

Speaking on the phone, Tagore said, “I just got the news and said what a wonderful journey this film has had from the first award till now. It’s been two years and it is still being recognised. It all started during Covid and the film has had a wonderful journey. I just sat down for lunch and now I am very happy. I am happy for Rahul (Rahul V. Chittela, director) because he has made a wonderful film. We have all been recognised and appreciated for this film.”

The 79-year-old actress also congratulated her ‘Gulmohar’ co-star, actor Manoj Bajpayee, who received a special mention at the National Awards for his performance in the film. Tagore called Bajpayee an actor of exceptional talent. “He is constantly giving us great films. In ‘Gulmohar’, there is a scene between him and Simran (who plays Indu Batra). It is so beautifully done. It is also well written, and the whole conversation feels very real. Such a beautiful family (is shown in the show). He (Manoj Bajpayee) is beautiful in the film. We all have got equal parts in the film,” she said.

The popular Bollywood star further added, “I will call Manoj right now and congratulate him.”

The actor spoke about the taste of the audience and how they like to explore relevant stories. Sharmila Tagore said that ‘Gulmohar’ is not only beautiful but also relevant, and that is probably what appealed to the audience. She shared that she has spent almost 50 years in the industry and is only interested in doing roles that speak to the audience.

“If you give the audience a good film that speaks to them, they will accept it. I am not interested in anything. I have done a lot. I am not saying this in a very light-hearted manner. My identity is that of a film actor. I would love to do films. But, at this stage of my life, I definitely want to do films that speak to me, that I enjoy working in. Working on ‘Gulmohar’ was fun from day one to the last day. We all became like a family. We keep meeting often. Everyone worked on the film and put their heart into it,” she said.

The actress concluded by mentioning that ‘Gulmohar’ never stopped receiving awards. She also mentioned her co-star Amol Palekar, whom she has known for a very long time. She said, “Award, after award – it means something. It’s a very relevant topic. Also, it was a great pleasure working with Amol. We have some great scenes in the film.”

Meanwhile, actor Rishab Shetty won the National Award for Best Actor for his performance in the Kannada film ‘Kantara’, while Nithya Menen and Manasi Parekh jointly won the Best Actress award at the 70th National Film Awards.