Aimee Baruah’s Semkhor Movie Bags 68th National Film Award

Renowned Assamese actor and director Aimee Baruah’s film Semkhor bagged the Best Dimasa film award in the 68th National Film Awards for the year 2020. Also debutant director Kripal kalita’s movie bride won the Best Assamese Film award in the feature film category.

The winners of the 68th National Film Awards were announced on Friday at National Media Centre in New Delhi. 

This year, there were 305 feature films as entries in 30 languages. In the non-feature film category, 148 films in 28 languages were received as entries. 

Films in 15 languages other than those specified in the 8th schedule of the Constitution were received as entries. 

A total of 24 books and five film critics competed for the best writing in cinema awards. Assam’s two feature films– Sekmkhor and Bridge managed to make it to the list.

Also ‘Semkhor’ was chosen to be screened at the prestigious Berlin International Film Festival. ‘Semkhor’ also received the “Special Audience Award” at the 20th Dhaka International Film Festival held in Dhaka, Bangladesh. 

In the movie, Aimee Baruah herself played the protagonist and to immerse herself into the character she used to visit Semkhor with the permission of village head and try to copy a lady there who is the mother of 14 children. 

The movie represents the practices, customs, and folk notions of the people of Semkhor who want to stay ‘untouched’ from the outside world. It has been made in Dimasa language which is a dialect spoken by the ethno-linguistic community after whom it is named in parts of Assam and Nagaland. 

Aimee had no idea about the language Dimasa and as a first step she learnt that language for one year with the help of a tutor. 

68th National Awards Winners Complete List: 

Best Feature Film: Soorarai Pottru
Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment: Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior
Best Actor: Suriya for Soorarai Pottru and Ajay Devgn for Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior
Best Actress: Aparrna Balamurali for Soorarai Pottru (Tamil)
Best Child Artist: Anish Mangesh Gosavi for Tak-Tak (Marathi) and Akanksha Pingle and Divyesh Indulkar for Sumi (Marathi)
Best Direction: Sachidanandan KR for AK Ayyappanum Koshiyum (Malayalam)
Best Original Screenplay: Soorarai Pottru (Tamil)
Best Dialogue Writing: Mandela (Tamil)
Best Cinematography: Avijatrik
Best Supporting Actress: Lakshmi Priya Chandramouli for Sivaranjaniyum Innum Sila Pengallum (Tamil)
Best Supporting Actor: Biju Menon for AK Ayyappanum Koshiyum (Malayalam)
Best Film on Social Issues: Funeral (Marathi)
Best Female Playback Singer: Nanchamma for AK Ayyappanum Koshiyum (Malayalam)
Best Male Playback Singer: Rahul Deshpande for Mi Vasantrao (Marathi)
Special Mention in Feature Film category:
Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director: Madonne Ashwin for Mandela (Tamil)
Best Children’s Film: Sumi (Marathi)
Best Film on Environment Conservation/Preservation: Taledanda (Kannada)
Best Hindi Film: Toolsidas Junior
Best Bengali Film: Avijatrik
Best Telugu Film: Colour Photo
Best Tamil Film: Sivaranjaniyum Innum Sila Pengallum
Best Assamese Film: Bridge
Best Malayalam Film: Thinkalazcha Nishchayam
Best Haryanvi Film: Dada Lakhmi
Best Dimasa Film: Semkhor
Best Tulu Film: Jeetige
Best Marathi Film: Goshta Eka Paithanichi
Best Kannada Film: Dollu
Best Action Direction Award: AK Ayyappanum Koshiyum
Best Choreography: Sandhya Raju for Natyam (Telugu)
Best Lyrics: Manoj Muntashir for Saina
Best Music Direction: Thamam S for Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo (Telugu)
Best Background Music: GV Prakash for Soorarai Pottru
Best Costume Designer: Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior
Best Makeup Artist: TV Rambabu for Natyam
Best Production Design: Kappela (Malayalam)
Best Editing: Sivaranjaniyum Innum Sila Pengallum (Tamil)
Best Audiography: Dollu (Kannada)
Best Sound Designer: Mi Vasantrao (Marathi)
Best Re-recordist and Final Track: Malik (Malayalam)

Non-feature Films Category

Best Film on Family Values: Kumkumarchan (Marathi)
Best Short Fiction Film: Kachichinithu (Karbi)
Special Jury Award: Admitted
Best Investigation Film: The Saviour: Brig Pritam Singh (Pinjabi)
Best Exploration Film: Wheeling the Ball
Best Educational Film: Dreaming of Words (Malayalam)
Best Film on Social Issue — Shared by: Justice Delayed but Delivered and Three Sisters (Bengali)
Best Environmental Film: Manah Aru Manuh (Assamese)
Best Promotional Film: Surmounting Challenges
Best Arts and Cultural Film: Naadada Navaneeta DR PT Venkateshkumar (Kannada)
Best Biographical Film: Pabung Syam (Manipuri)
Best Ethnographic Film: Mandal ke Bol
Best Debut non-feature film of a Director: Pariah (Marathi and Hindi) by Vishesh Iyer
Best Non-Feature Film: Testimony of Ana
Best Science and Technology Film: On the Brink season 2 - Bats
Best Narration: Shobha Tharoor Sreenivasan for Rhapsody of Rains — Monsoons of Kerala
Best Audiography: Ajit Singh Rathore, Pearl of the Desert.
Best Editing: Anadi Athaley, Borderlands
 Best Music Direction: Vishal Bhardwaj, 1232 KMS: Marenge Toh Wahi Jaakar
Best on Location Sound Recordist: Sandip Bhati & Pradeep Lekhwar, Jadui Jangal
Best Cinematography: Nikhil S Praveen, Shabdikkunna Kalappa (Malayalam)
Best Direction: RV Ramani, Oh That’s Bhanu
Best Film Critic: No award this year
Most Film-friendly State: Madhya Pradesh
Best Book on Cinema: The Longest Kiss, by Kishwar Desai