‘Srikanth’ makers say National Award win “justified” after film was ignored by commercial award shows

Director Tushar Hiranandani and producer Nidhi Parmar Hiranandani have spoken openly about ‘Srikanth’ being overlooked during the commercial award season before receiving major recognition at the National Film Awards. Their comments have added fresh perspective to the film’s awards trajectory, which saw widespread critical appreciation but limited acknowledgement from mainstream Bollywood ceremonies.

Hiranandani noted that ‘Srikanth’ had travelled internationally and even won Best Film in Moscow, yet failed to secure nominations at home. Reflecting on the National Award win, he said it felt “surreal… justified and rewarding to win the biggest award in the country,” adding that “we were not even nominated in any of the other awards.” He emphasised that the honour belonged equally to Srikanth Bolla, Rajkummar Rao and the wider team behind the biographical drama.

Producer Nidhi Parmar Hiranandani echoed the sentiment, firmly rejecting the idea that Rajkummar Rao had been snubbed by the National Awards. “I don’t think you can snub an actor of Raj’s calibre at all,” she said, adding that the jury must have had its own reasoning. She also acknowledged that the team had “lost hope” after the film was not selected as India’s Oscar entry, making the National Award recognition feel even more significant.

Parmar further highlighted that while some cast members and writers received nominations at commercial award shows, Hiranandani himself “didn’t get nominated at all,” reinforcing the sense that the film had been largely overlooked by the industry before the national honour arrived.

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