Director Priyadarshan’s much acclaimed Tamil film Kanchivaram has won the best feature film award at the 55th National Film Awards 2007. Actor Prakash Raj won the best actor’s award for the same film.
Priyadarshan, known for his number of hits in Bollywood and other south-Indian languages was elated with the news and said, “This one is for myself. It is made for self-satisfaction. I am proud to say it is one of the best films made this year in India. It is a truly deserving one. In the few months Kanchivaram has created ripples wherever it was screened. At the Toronto film festival, the film got a 20-minute standing ovation. I was thrilled. Eminent filmmakers like Shyam Benegal and Adoor Gopalakrishan appreciated the film. Mr. Benegal mentioned that watching Kanchivaram was like reading a Tolstoy novel. That was a huge compliment.”
A visibly proud Priyadarshan continued, “So many of my films have been instrumental in getting top awards for technicians and others. But nothing came my way. Not that I longed for an award every time I made a film. But getting the award is something special. Finally, when I made a film for myself, I am bestowed with an award.”
Set in the backdrop of Kanchivaram ’s handloom silk industry from the 1920s to 1948, Kanchivaram is the story of a non-political weaver who leans towards communism and soon becomes a revolutionary leader and an advocate of the ideology, only to find himself caught between personal needs and his pursuit of social equality.
-Sampurn Media