Devgan gets his 2nd, Sens take home two

Konkana Sen Sharma was adjudged best actress for Mr And Mrs Iyer, while her mother Aparna won best director for the same film. ‘‘And to think that my mother had to convince me to do this role!’’ laughed the 24-year-old Konkana. Buddhadeb Dasgupta’s Mondo Meyer Upakhyan (The Tale of A Naughty Girl) was adjudged Best Film, while the best popular film went to Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Devdas.

It is vindication for Devgan, who won his first national award for Zakhm, after The Legend… slumped at the box office. He shrugged off the pressure of living upto two national awards, ‘‘It makes me feel more responsible. We intended to bring the character forward and this award has made a difference.’’

Mr And Mrs Iyer also bagged the best screenplay award and the Nargis Dutt award for national integration. It tells the story of two strangers from different communities drawn to each other in the midst of communal riots.

‘‘I still can’t fathom it…it feels unreal,’’ said Konkana.The 21-member jury presented its report earlier to I&B Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.