Arjun Mathur wins South Asian Film Award for ‘Made In Heaven’
Arjun Mathur who played the starring role in Amazon Prime Video’s highly appreciated Amazon Original Series ‘Made In Heaven’, created in association with Excel Media and Entertainment and Tiger Baby, has been presented with the South Asian Film Award (SAFA).
The award was presented to Mathur for his exemplary work as the protagonist, Karan Mehra, who plays the role of an Indian wedding planner and lives in a country where homosexuality is still illegal. Through his breakthrough performance, Mathur brings alive the emotions of suppression and the deep pain the character is feeling while he protects himself from society.
Excited about his latest win, Mathur said, “I’m truly honored to be receiving the SAFA award for my work in this landmark series, particularly on the international platform that is the Chicago South Asian Film Festival. I am humbled by my name joining those that have won this award before me. I’m deeply grateful that this career-defining role has touched so many hearts around the world and that my work was able to resonate with and represent all those people that live dual lives under societal pressure. I would like to commit this award to strengthen the resolve of all those people. Through Karan Mehra, I hoped to break certain stereotypes and experiencing such an overwhelming response has been very encouraging.”
In 2014, the South Asian Film Award was introduced by Chicago South Asian Film Festival (CSAFF) to award artists that have achieved artistic excellence in the field of cinema. The festival gives South Asian talent, stories and themes a world platform and is committed to providing an experience in cinema for filmmakers and moviegoers alike with the warmth and personal touch that is unique to Chicago. Sharmila Tagore and Shabana Azmi have been previously presented with The Lifetime Achievement Award while Rajkumar Rao was awarded with Best Actor and Nawazuddin Siddiqui with Outstanding Achievement. This year, as the South Asian Film Award marks its 10th year, Arjun Mathur will be the recipient of this prestigious award.
‘Made In Heaven’ chronicles the lives of Tara and Karan, two wedding planners in Delhi. These two headstrong individuals often mask their supreme vulnerability – sometimes even from each other, as their wedding planning agency ‘Made In Heaven’ forces them to open up and reveal themselves. The show portrays today’s India as a potent blend where tradition jostles with modern aspiration, set against the theme of the ‘Big Fat Indian Wedding’. Indians believe marriages are made in heaven and it is against these sacred unions that Tara and Karan’s personal journeys are juxtaposed. With world class production values and a magnificent scale, the show provides the viewer with a grand cinematic experience of intricacies and the drama around upscale Indian weddings.
