Rajkummar Rao starrer Newton was announced as the Best Hindi Film at the 65th National Film Awards. Rajkummar Rao starrer Newton was announced as the Best Hindi Film at the 65th National Film Awards.

2017 was the year of Rajkummar Rao. With back-to-back commercial successes like Trapped, Newton and Bareilly ki Barfi which also impressed the critics, Bollywood and the audience have found its new hero. And so, as his Newton director Amit V Masurkar spoke about the film’s big win at the 65th National Awards, he couldn’t help but say that Rao deserved to be recognised at the latest edition of the coveted awards.

“I definitely feel Rajkummar should have been awarded. He has done a brilliant job, not just in Newton, he has had Bareilly ki Barfi, Trapped. He has done some really good work this year and it would have felt great had he also gotten some award. I spoke to him. He is very happy. He is a very positive person and he has won a National Award before but for us, it’s our first,” Amit V Masurkar said at the press conference held Friday evening after Newton was announced as the Best Hindi Film at the 65th National Film Awards.

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When asked if Rajkummar Rao, himself, thought he would bag the National Award, the director said the actor is among those, who don’t get attached to the films they do and hence don’t ponder on their chances of winning awards.

“I don’t think he keeps such expectations. He is the kind of person, who does his work and then moves on. He has already worked on five-six films after Newton. So, he has moved on. Now, he is working on his next film,” said the director.

Also read | Amit Masurkar on Newton winning National Award: I hope this award creates a bigger space for relevant political cinema

Newton, presented by filmmaker Anand L Rai and distributed by Eros International, also bagged a special mention for actor Pankaj Tripathi, whose performance as a disillusioned army officer on election duty was among the best last year. Masurkar, who made his debut with Newton, is now gearing up for his next. Without divulging any detail about the forthcoming project, the director said the work on the film has begun and it will “hopefully be yet another collaboration with Eros and Rai’s Colour Yellow Films.”

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