Why Gujarat? Raees director Rahul Dholakia questions new National Film Awards venue

The National Film Awards will be held in Gujarat for the first time, prompting director Rahul Dholakia to question the shift from Delhi. His remarks have renewed attention on what the venue of India's top film honours should signify.

In Short

• The National Film Awards shift from Delhi to Kevadia, Gujarat after 72 years
• Filmmaker Rahul Dholakia questions the choice, citing stronger cinema ties elsewhere
• Gujarat is known for regional films but lacks historical film hub status

First cricket, now cinema - is Gujarat becoming India's new go-to destination for marquee national events? The National Film Awards are leaving Delhi for the first time in 72 years, with Kevadia in Gujarat chosen as the new venue. Filmmaker Rahul Dholakia, however, isn't quite convinced that's the right choice.

He recently argued that several other states and cities have a stronger historical connection with Indian cinema, then why Gujarat?

The National Film Awards ceremony, traditionally held in the capital, will this year be hosted in Kevadia, Gujarat, on September 22. The change in venue was announced by government officials a day earlier, marking the first break from a tradition that has lasted 72 years.

Dholakia, who himself won the National Award for Best Director for his 2007 film Parzania, took to X on Tuesday to question the decision. He suggested that if the government wanted to take the ceremony to a different part of the country, it could have chosen a state or city with a deeper cinematic legacy.

"I have no particular love lost for Delhi hosting the National Film Awards, but I question the shift to Gujarat. Why Gujarat?," wrote Dholakia on his X handle on Tuesday morning.

"When you are breaking the tradition of presenting the award in another city/state, then why not give that honour to a state that has contributed to cinema? Like Maharashtra or Kerala or Tamil Nadu. Even a city like Hyderabad (sic)," he added.

Dholakia's own filmography makes his comments particularly interesting. Parzania, which earned him the National Award, was set against the backdrop of the 2002 Gujarat riots. Years later, he returned to the state as the setting for his Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Raees, which explored the rise of a bootlegger in Gujarat.

Gujarat, of course, has its own cinematic tradition, with Gujarati films forming an important part of India's regional film landscape. But the state's biggest film hub is Ahmedabad, rather than Kevadia, the location selected for this year's ceremony.

Dholakia's larger point is about the symbolic significance of moving the awards. Maharashtra, with Mumbai at the centre of the Hindi film industry and Pune playing an important role in Marathi and parallel cinema, has long been one of India's biggest filmmaking hubs. Kerala has been central to the evolution of Malayalam cinema, while Chennai has historically been the heart of Tamil filmmaking. Hyderabad, meanwhile, has emerged as a major force in Telugu cinema and is home to one of India's largest film production ecosystems.

The move to Kevadia also gives the ceremony a distinctly different backdrop. The city, now officially known as Ekta Nagar, is home to the Statue of Unity, the 597-foot monument dedicated to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018, the statue is billed as the world's tallest.

The 72nd National Film Awards will be presented by President Droupadi Murmu on September 22. Aditya Suhas Jambhale's 2024 political action thriller Article 370 has been named Best Feature Film, while its lead actor Yami Gautam has won Best Actress.

The Best Actor honour will be shared by Malayalam superstar Mammootty and Kartik Aaryan. Mammootty has been recognised for Rahul Sadasivan's period folk-horror film Bramayugam, while Aaryan won for Kabir Khan's sports drama Chandu Champion.

Actor-filmmaker Randeep Hooda has been named Best Debut Director for Swatantrya Veer Savarkar, his biographical drama on Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. Nag Ashwin's Kalki 2898 AD has won Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, while Arun Matheswaran's Tamil action drama Captain Miller, starring Dhanush, has been honoured as Best Feature Film Promoting National, Social and Environmental Values.

For the first time in its history, the National Film Awards will thus unfold against the backdrop of Gujarat rather than Delhi - a change that has already raised a larger question about what the venue of India's most prestigious film awards should represent.

- Ends