The festival was attended by various dignitaries of Australia, The Honourable Linda Dessau AC, Governor of Victoria Mr. Andrew Howard AM QC, The Honourable Minister Danny Pearson, Minister for Creative Industries, Regulatory Reform, Government Services and Assistant Treasurer, The Honourable Minister Luke Donellan, Minister for Child Protection, Disability, Ageing and Carers, Ms. Caroline Pitcher, CEO Film Victoria and by eminent Indian artists like Anurag Kashyap, Shoojit Sircar, Thiagarajan Kumararaja, Sriram Raghavan were amongst the presenters. Also present were the prestigious jury members including Richa Chadha, Guneet Monga, Onir, Australian filmmaker Geoffrey Wright, Oscar-nominated editor Jill Bilcock were was also the present.

IFFM honored Pankaj Tripathi with the Prestigious Diversity in Cinema Award presented by LaTrobe University. Additionally, Soorarai Pottru walked away with the Best Feature Film and Suriya won the Best Actor award from the same film. Vidya Balan won the Best Actress for her widely acclaimed film Sherni and Mirzapur was given the Best Series Award. Ace filmmaker Anurag Basu picks up the Best Director trophy for the feature film Ludo.

Speaking about the winners, the festival’s director Mitu Bhowmick Lange, says, “We congratulate all the winners and their teams for making great films that were loved by the audiences across the globe. It is about time that we have conversations in cinema and about cinema that are not mainstream and biased. It is time to present the diverse sensibilities through narratives that are ground-breaking and all the winners of the IFFM awards symbolize this fervour of thought.”

On winning Best Documentary Award, Sona Mohapatra said, “At a time when the world is finding its new feet in this new normal IFFM was our first outing after the second wave in India, we are grateful and we are looking for better times and hoping to make more music. Sending you out all a lot of love, much more music in our lives, and yes being fearless in telling stories.

On Winning Best Actor in a series for The Family Man 2, Manoj Bajpayee said, “Thank you to all the jury members for honoring me. I must mention – cinema or series – are both highly collaborative. It’s Highly embarrassing for me to take away the award to myself without mentioning everyone involved. Amazon, Raj, and DK, but it’s the writers for the series that make a lot of difference. It’s that team of writers, so thank you to them for giving me the space to become this character. The last time I was at this festival I took the Best Actor award for Gali Guleiyan and I’m grateful to the festival.”

On winning Best Actress in a series for The Family Man 2, Samantha Akkineni said, “First time at this festival. To be here amongst such immense talent. I’m grateful and it’s such a huge honour. Thanks to Raj and DK to see past the cute girl image I have and to give me this role which is so different from what I have done so far. To give me this character that has so many layers and such diverse parts to it. It’s my big dive into OTT and what an amazing show to do it with.”

On winning Best Series for Mirzapur 2, filmmaker Gurmeet Singh said, “Overwhelming to be being around here with such amazing talent. It’s all thanks to the writers, OTT is their medium and they gave us such amazing content to work with, so all the credit to them.”

On winning the prestigious Diversity in Cinema Award, Pankaj Tripathi said, “This award is special for me, I’m humbled – it’s really inspiring for me, my craft. The man who is here to give me this award. He is the one who discovered my talent. So thanks to Anurag Kashyap sir. He is the one who rediscovered my talent. So I’m grateful to you. I’m grateful to all my directors, writers for having me part of their projects.”

On winning the Best Actor in a feature film for Sorrarai Pottru, Suriya said, “I’m sure all the nominees have given their best. This film is very special. This is the first award I’m getting for this film. This is one of the first films that came to me during the pandemic. Thanks to all the fans who have given us so much love. In my career, I felt bored with what I was doing after having worked for 20 years. So thanks to my director Sudha – this film was her 10 years dream – she worked 4 years on writing or his film. The character of Maara will not be anything without her. I couldn’t ask for more.”

On winning the Best Actress in a feature film for Sherni, Vidya Balan said, “I’m thrilled to be receiving the award for Sherni which was shot during the pandemic. Thanks to my director Amit Masurkar, my producer Abundantia- who pulled all stops to make this film during these uncertain times.”

On winning the Best Director Award for Ludu, Anurag Basu said, “Humbling to be part of the nominees and to be winning the best director. Thankful to Netflix and T-Series. My actors were amazing to stand by me. Such amazing people, my crew, my actors. Such a crazy bunch of people. This award shows us that despite all the situation we are in, shows that cinema will continue to be celebrated.”

Here’s a complete list of winners……

Best Feature Film – Soorarai Pottru

Best Performance Male (Feature) – Suriya Sivakumar (Soorarai Pottru)

Best Performance Female (Feature) – Vidya Balan (Sherni) & Honourable mention to Nimisha Sajayan (The Great Indian Kitchen)

Best Director – Anurag Basu (Ludo) & Honorary Mention Prithvi Konanur (Pinki Elli?)

Best Series – Mirzapur Season 2

Best Actress in a Series – Samantha Akkineni (The Family Man 2)

Best Actor in a Series – Manoj Bajpayee (The Family Man 2)

Equality in Cinema (Short Film) – Sheer Qorma

Equality in Cinema Award (Feature Film) – The Great Indian Kitchen

Best Indie Film – Fire in the Mountains

Diversity in Cinema Award – Pankaj Tripathi

Disruptor Award – Sanal Kumar Sasidharan

Best Documentary Film – Shut Up Sona

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Wondering which Samantha movie to watch next? Don’t worry, as we got you covered with a list of best of Samantha entertainers throughout the month on Sony MAX.

Theri – 17th July at 8 PM – Paired opposite superstar Vijay, Samantha manages to impress as Mithra. This 2016 action thriller is considered one of Samantha’s breakthrough performances. Directed by Atlee, the movie is a cleverly crafted story brought to life through its brilliant picturization and characterization.

U-Turn – 20th July at 6 PM – There’s no doubt that U-Turn is Samantha’s one of the most praised performances. The best part about Samantha’s character in the film is that she had delivered a never-before-seen performance. The actor played a crime journalist whose life turns upside down after she volunteered to find the reason behind the mysterious deaths of motorists on a flyover.

Janatha Garage – 22nd July at 9 PM – Featuring the superhit pairing of superstar NTR Jr. and Samantha, Janatha Garage is one of Samantha’s most successful and most loved movies. In the film, Samantha is seen playing NTR Jr. ‘IIT sweet- heart’. The old school romance between the two is bound to take you back to your college romance days.

Son of Satyamurthy – 30th July at 8 PM – The film is headlined by Allu Arjun and Samantha Akkineni. It narrates the story of a youngster, who vows to live by the values taught by his father. However, his life takes an unexpected drastic when his father passes away in a freak accident. Though the narrative is largely driven by Allu Arjun, Samantha manages to prove her worth by giving a phenomenal performance.

The post The Family Man’s antagonist Samantha Akkineni regales wi th her versatile and dazzling performances on Sony MAX! first appeared on Latest News, Breaking News, National News, World News, India News, Bollywood News, Business News, Politics News, Sports News, Entertainment News - CineBuster.

The Family Man is an edgy, action-drama series, which tells the story of a middle-class man, Srikant Tiwari, who works for a special cell of the National Investigation Agency. The series explores Srikant’s tight-rope walk as he struggles to strike a balance between his secretive, low paying, high-pressure, high-stakes job and being a husband and a father. This is as much a satirical take on the geopolitics of the region as it is the story of a middle class guy who is a world class spy.

Amazon Prime Video had launched an intriguing teaser of Amazon Original Series The Family Man recently which led to a wave of euphoria amongst its fans across the country. Amidst heightened anticipation, many of the superfans of The Family Man actually managed to decode the launch date of the new season, from a clue hidden within the teaser. Putting an end to the speculation and giving joy to millions of fans who have been awaiting the final confirmation on the launch date, Amazon Prime Video today officially announces 12 February 2021 as the launch date for the new season of its award-winning show, The Family Man.

With a multi-layered narrative, the sequel of the action spy thriller marks the return of India’s favourite Family Man, Srikant Tiwari, essayed by Manoj Bajpayee. This time Srikant, while struggling to balance his personal and professional life, will be pitted against a new nemesis, Raji played by Samantha Akkineni. Replete with twists and turns, the upcoming season will see Srikant embarking on a new mission as ‘This Time, No One is Safe’.

Speaking on the return of the popular franchise, Aparna Purohit, Head of India Originals, Amazon Prime Video, commented, “The Family Man had set a new benchmark in the spy thriller genre in India. Appreciated by fans and critics alike for its compelling storyline and phenomenal performances, the show became a part of our popular culture. The fact that the fans had successfully managed to decode the show’s launch date by reading ‘2021’ as ‘1202’ in reverse when we recently unveiled the teaser poster is a testament to the show’s unparalleled fandom! We are excited to present the brand new season of The Family Man to our customers. Watch out as ‘This Time, No One is Safe’!”

The maverick duo Raj and DK, creators of the immensely popular, much-loved ‘The Family Man’ said “We are thrilled and excited to return to the world of The Family Man. The response to first season was overwhelming and it struck a real chord with the viewers. And we are hopeful that we can continue to tell a story which is, as compelling and engaging as the first season. The one question we were asked for the last 16 months is – when is season 2 coming. Our team has worked from home through the pandemic and amidst all the constraints to complete the season. We wish to thank everyone involved in our show. And our fans can be sure that we have plenty of surprises in store for the new season of The Family Man.”

The Amazon Original Series features a stellar ensemble  cast including Manoj Bajpayee, Samantha Akkineni, Priyamani, along with incredible talent from across India, including SharibHashmi, Seema Biswas, Darshan Kumar, Sharad Kelkar, Sunny Hinduja, Shreya Dhanwantary, Shahab Ali, VedantSinha and Mahek Thakur. Produced by D2R Films, the much-awaited show will launch exclusively on Amazon Prime Video in over 240 countries and territories.

The post ‘The Family Man’, season 2 release date announced first appeared on Latest News, Breaking News, National News, World News, India News, Bollywood News, Business News, Politics News, Sports News, Entertainment News - CineBuster.