Besides nepotism, another bone of contention in Bollywood is our so-called award shows. Several celebrities like Kangana Ranaut, Tamannah Bhatia and Aamir Khan (among others) have questioned their credibility in the past, and the latest one to join the bandwagon is Saif Ali Khan. Saying that he doesn’t believe in Indian award shows, the actor called them ‘a big tamasha’.
In a recent interview, Saif opened up about the manipulation that happens at award shows and recalled the time when he was denied an award he was promised, at the last moment. “To be honest, I don’t believe in them. Some years ago I was called for an awards function. When I got there someone higher up in the organization told me, ‘We wanted to give you the Best Actor award. But you know how it is. We’ll give you the award for Best Actor in a comic role,” said Saif.
The Omkara actor said that he was seen undeserving of the few awards he received earlier in his career, including the National Award for Hum Tum. However, over the years, he’s proven himself to be more worthy of the recognition, he said.
Talking further about the manipulation he was referring to, Saif called the award functions a TV show. “It’s a TV show. You have to go on the stage and perform. It is no longer about going on stage, taking your award and mumbling your ‘thank you’ speech. Now it’s a whole big tamasha on stage. Initially, it was a good idea, then the commercial aspect was introduced and that gobbled up the entire credibility of awards.”
Also Read: Priyanka Chopra Is Being Offered Rs 5 Crores For A 5-Minute Performance At This Award Show
Recently, veteran journalist Shekhar Gupta, in a blog, made some shocking revelations about what happens at award functions. He spoke about how Bollywood stars throw tantrums if they don’t get an award, while calling out B-town biggies including Katrina Kaif, Karan Johar and Hrithik Roshan. He went on to say that almost a decade earlier, an award category was created on the spot for Katrina.
When asked about the same, Saif said, “It was illuminating to some people. To me, it was no great revelation. I feel everyone is part of the hypocrisy of film awards including Shekhar Gupta. I mean, why did he give Katrina that award if he thought she was undeserving? The truth is, we haven’t created a healthy environment for awards where one actor out of 5 wins an award and the other 4 actors clap.”
“As I see them, awards functions are an excuse to make some money by performing on stage. If you have the intelligence, then you spend the money well. That’s what awards are worth as far as I can see. It’s not about pretending to be an art of a community,” he added.
Mockery of talent, nepotism and favouritism–this is what Bollywood has come down to. We really hope that our entertainment industry creates an environment for everyone to flourish, and soon.
Featured Image: Instagram/Kareena Kapoor Khan/Saif Ali Khan
