Shekhar Gupta,Editor-in-Chief of The Indian Express sums up the spirit of the 18th Annual Colors Screen Awards There are new names in every department a wonderful reminder that the new Indian wave in Hindi cinema is fuelled by creative men and women from across the country and many from outside it as well On behalf of Screen and the Express Group,its my privilege to welcome one and all to join us as we applaud the finest in Indian cinema. And like every year,this one,too,is extra special. For a whole new set of reasons. If the TV set brought heated outrage and shoutrage to our living rooms the whole of last year,it was the cinema screen that was the cool,reality check. Many of you sitting here this evening captured the complexity of our life and society in a way that touched audiences both in the head and the heart. Last year,I mentioned that our cinema,especially Hindi cinema,is seeing the New Indian Wave. The list of nominees this year shows that this wave is only getting bigger. There are new names in every department a wonderful reminder that this wave is fuelled by creative men and women from across the country and many from outside it as well. Thats why their work is so staggering in its diversity. From a schoolkid who makes up stories to three men rediscovering the child in them,from a funny,scatological caper set in Delhi to a film straight off the front-page headlines. This New Wave has liberated women and children from cliché. So in Stanley Ka Dabba,Stanley plays a child,not a mini-adult or a cute victim left to swing from our heartstrings. Theres a powerful message in the film but its weaved into the story with an honesty thats courageous. Speaking of courage,this has been the year of women in cinema carving out spaces they never had before. From the seven Priyanka Chopras in 7 Khoon Maaf to Vidya Balan who marked the bookends of this year. From her quiet determination in No One Killed Jessica to her glorious,in-your-face brashness in The Dirty Picture. This was also the year we saw English blur with Hindi in films like Delhi Belly,when actors and audiences slipped in and out of these two languages. This opens up exciting opportunities for an entire new generation thats on the move.
