Casting coup

Each of the nominees rightfully deserve to be here since Luck by Chance may not have been as endearing as it was if it weren’t for its quirky set of characters and,in case of Firaaq,one cannot single out one lead character since it comprises three parallel storylines.

Das was surprised when she was informed of Firaaq’s nomination. She correlates it to veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah’s comment when he saw the film’s first screening. “Naseerji told me that if someone from Firaaq’s cast has to be nominated for the Best Actor Award this year,they won’t be able to because the entire cast has performed so well that they can’t single out one of them,” smiles the filmmaker who has recently shifted base to Mumbai. Das adds the new category is a great way to motivate the entire team. “It’s another way of appreciating the entire cast’s work and push them to do their best. After all,in real life too,that’s how it is – people play more than just minor characters in our lives.”

Mehra gives the credit of the film’s nomination under this category to the casting director PS Bharthi. Though the concept of having one has been around for a few years now,the casting directors came under the spotlight after Danny Boyle acknowledged Loveleen Tandon’s contribution during Slumdog Millionaire’s success. “It’s a specialised field and a producer or director may not have all the knowledge required for it. A casting director can span the country and the world for the right cast as happened with Rang De Basanti and now Delhi-6. It’s a great emerging trend and it’s an encouraging initiative on behalf of Screen.”

NOMINATIONS
Best Film
3 Idiots; Dev.D; Paa; Kaminey; Love Aaj Kal

Best Director
Anurag Kashyap (Dev.D); Imtiaz Ali (Love Aaj Kal); R Balki (Paa); Rajkumar Hirani (3 Idiots); Vishal Bharadwaj (Kaminey)

Best Actor – Male
Aamir Khan (3 Idiots); Amitabh Bachchan (Paa); Ranbir Kapoor(Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani); Ranbir Kapoor (Rocket Singh – Salesman of the Year); Saif Ali Khan (Love Aaj Kal); Shahid Kapoor (Kaminey)

Best Actor – Female
Deepika Padukone (Love Aaj Kal); Kareena Kapoor (3 Idiots); Katrina Kaif (New York); Priyanka Chopra (Kaminey); Priyanka Chopra (What’s Your Raashee?); Vidya Balan (Paa)

Best Actor in a Negative Role
Amole Gupte (Kaminey); Boman Irani (3 Idiots); Kay Kay Menon (Gulaal); Mahesh Manjrekar (Wanted); Manish Chaudhari (Rocket Singh)

Best Actor in a Comic Role
D Santosh (Rocket Singh); Omi Vaidya (3 Idiots); Paresh Rawal (De Dana Dan); Sanjay Mishra (All the Best); Vinay Pathak (Raat Gayi Baat Gayi?)