A breath of fresh air!

Shwaas very deservedly won the National Award for the best film, becoming the first Marathi film in over half a century to do so.

Shwaas is a very moving film....in fact the first Indian movie that moistened my eyes since hrishida's Anand. The sheer calibre of the story is further enhanced by the manner in which the story is told. Full credit to the director for that. The realism with which the movie has been shot makes it even more moving. You almost feel as if you're watching a documentary about a boy and his grandfather. It takes a great deal of mental effort to keep in mind the fact that whatever is happening is just plain fiction.

Sarika and I absolutely loved the film. Both of us agreed that if we send it to the oscars, it will stand a good chance of winning. She was insistent that Shwaas would win the National award. i doubted it, simply because I have hardly ever seen good marathi films take the Swarna kamal. Fortunately i was proven wrong.

Hopefully this will act as a shot in the arm for enterprising marathi film-makers. There is a lot of talent in Maharashtra, be it writing, directing or acting. Most of it stays limited to stage, or falls prey to the crass commercialism of Bollywood. The new multiplex culture however offers hope to ventures like Shwaas.

Now that Shwaas has bagged the award, I hope the government sends it as the official entry to the Oscars.

May a thousand Shwaas-es bloom!!