Partho Gupte and ‘Chillar Party’ kids share National Award

If quantity is any indication of change then our child actors are well on the way to becoming the new entertainment sensation of Bollywood. In an unprecedented move, the jury of the 59th National awards decided to confer the Best Child Artist award to Partho Gupte in Amole Gupte’s Stanley Ka Dabba and to all the 22 kids of Vikas Bahl-Nitish Tiwary’s Chillar Party.

Just how the Stanley party of 1 and Chillar Party of 22 would share the National award is unclear even to the parties concerned.

Partho’s father Amole Gupte said, “Partho was in school when the announcements were made. So he wasn’t aware about the National award immediately. But I am happy for him. I’m also happy for the kids in Chillar Party, though I don’t quite understand how the award can be shared by so many children.”

Vikas Bahl co-director of Chillar Party also seems a little puzzled by the governmental largesse. “It’s really nice to know all the kids in Chillar Party have been honoured. Truly, it would be heart-breaking to single out one or the other kid because the other children would’ve been demoralized. But I believe Partho has also been honoured for Stanley Ka Dabba. I don’t know how this will work. Will all the kids be in it together?”

Having said that Vikas goes on to express great joy at his little children’s film making such a big impact. “We never expected it would have such a resonant impact. Chillar Party has won three National awards. That means somewhere we did the right thing.”