After an undeniably long wait, the winners of the 66th National Film Awards have been announced. While normally, the recipients of the National Film Awards are announced in April and the presentation takes place on May 3 every year, it was delayed this time owing to the Lok Sabha polls. Now, the full list is out and 2019 film URI: The Surgical Strike has won big. From Vicky Kaushal winning the Best Actor Award for the film to debutante filmmaker Aditya Dhar becoming the Best Director, URI has shined out this year.
Aditya opened up about his win and told, "15 years of failures, rejections and hard work has lead to this moment and it just cannot get better than this. Thank you India, thank you Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and all the Jury members of National Award committee for considering me worthy enough for this prestigious award. This is an honour I am going to cherish for the rest of my life. Being conferred with the National Award has been a dream since the time I understood what films meant to me, and films truly mean the world to me. Thanks to my family and friends for their unconditional support over the years. The way my parents and my brother stood by me through all the struggle is what helped me realize my dream so beautifully. Thank you Ronnie Screwvala and my entire team of URI for giving it all and making URI what it is. This film wouldn’t have been possible without the mad obsession of each one of you to create something extraordinary for our audience. But most importantly I am dedicating this award to each and every brave soldier of our country and their families. Thank you for all your sacrifices. You have selflessly dedicated your life to serve us and now it’s our time to dedicate everything we have to serve you. Jai Hindi!! PS- HOW’S THE JOSH??? VERY VERY HIGH SIR!!"
URI: The Surgical Strike released on January 11, 2019, and went on to become a box office hit and a critically acclaimed one as well.
(Source: PeepingMoon)