Bhubaneswar: Odia film Lahari, directed by Amartya Bhattacharyya and produced by Jhilik Bhattacharjee, received the national award for ‘Best Odia Film’ at the 72nd National Film Awards ceremony held at Ekta Nagar in Gujarat Tuesday. President Droupadi Murmu presented the prestigious honour to Jhilik and other award winners at the ceremony, held against the backdrop of the Statue of Unity. This year’s National Film Awards ceremony was hosted outside Delhi for the first time.
For Jhilik, the occasion marked her first national award and a particularly emotional milestone in her journey with Odisha and its film industry. Sharing her emotions after receiving the honour, Jhilik said, “Odisha, you didn’t just give me an identity… You made me who I am today.” Recalling the moment when President Murmu presented the award, she said, “A proud daughter of Odisha, as the President of India, placed this national award into the hands of a proud daughter-in-law of Odisha.” “At that moment, I was holding an award, but in my heart, I was holding an entire journey,” she said. Jhilik also thanked the entire Lahari team, including its artistes and technicians, for their contribution to the film. She made a special mention of Amartya, saying the film was a dream they had carried together.
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