6th annual Film Critics Circle of India Citation Award (2021)

For the Best Indian Film censored in 2020, or uncensored & publicly exhibited anywhere in the world in 2020

In total, 39 film critics from all over India cast their vote.

Here’s what a few members have to say:

“The linguistic root of gharana (ghar, or home) — a community of musicians bound by region, apprenticeship, or musical style — and the frequent reference to the Almighty, and the divine-filial reverence for mentors indicate the intersections of three key figures in The Disciple: parents, gurus, and gods. Sometimes they coalesce into one. These figures of authority induce unambiguous reverence and unwavering allegiance. The disciple then faces a paradoxical conundrum: How can he find his voice by losing his own?”

   –Tanul Thakur

“The grammar of cinema includes a variety of cinematic punctuation marks. Tamhane uses a full stop to literally put an end to things.”

   –Dalton

“Seems to take its elitist viewpoint from a ‘Brahminical’ position that does not envisage the necessity of a ‘public’ for any kind of artistic practice. The notion of ‘rasika’ is from a milieu in which hierarchy reigns, and his or her response goes beyond mere ‘enjoyment’ – which would be what a folk performance might fetch for its audience. Great art, without doubt, can only be truly appreciated by a few, but by keeping access open to a general public, it helps increase the ranks of those few, and that is why a ‘market’ for classical music cannot be sneered at. Perhaps Chaitanya Tamhane understands that his view of artistic practice as the exclusive domain of a few is untenable because that is where his ‘minimalism’ eventually leads – to a concealment of elitist prejudices.”

   –MK Raghavendra

“What makes the scenes with the spiritual guru come to life is the drowning hypnotic music that suspends reality, created by giving centrestage to the tanpura, an Indian drone instrument traditionally played in the background to sustain the melody of the performance. The presence of the drone also embodies the concept of om, the elemental and eternal sound from which all other sounds flow.”

   –Oorvazi Irani

“Quintessentially a quest film in which the quest is foregrounded by the protagonist’s lone journey along the broad city avenues and under a vast sky; it almost appears too as if the entire universe is pressed upon his back. While the use of classical music as the trope of this journey is too unequivocal to miss, the ending marks the mystery and the enigma of it all.”

   –Darshana Goswami

“Touches a core aspect of Indian existence with its legacy of centuries old tradition. Yet it has a universal theme too… The protagonist appears to retain the core value of seeking aesthetic truth.”

   –Babu Subramanian

“An undertow of irony sweeps over its narrative. For those who wish to know in advance whether they are getting into a satire, a documentary, or an art-house venture, imagine being held in a state of nervous imbalance by a film that traverses all these labels, without pedantically conforming to one. Tamhane makes you study carefully every face that darts by and scan each one of them for the stories that might be contained in a nod of the head, a piercing look, a chewing motion.”

   –Sreehari Nair

“Tamhane uses mostly static long shots with prolonged durations to maintain a kind of epic detachement that provides space for the audience to enter and to fill the environment, which is essentially a lonely planet.”

   –Utpal Datta

“Takes shape using the Indian classical music fraternity as one big metaphor to demonstrate how degradation has occurred in almost every field, and how our blinded attitudes are responsible for the distortion of many of our long-standing, cherished values… Tamhane also strongly brings upon us the realization of the losses we have suffered over the declivity of disciples through several generations.”

   –Dnyanesh Moghe

The films that were in nomination

Sthalpuran /Chronicle of Space — Akshay Indikar

Nasir — Arun Karthick

The Disciple — Chaitanya Tamhane

Meel Patthar — Ivan Ayr

New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) | 2022

FCCI Award for Best Debut Feature

Ritesh Sharma’s Jhini Bini Chadariya/ The Brittle Thread

Smile International Film Festival for Children & Youth (SIFFCY) | 2022

FCCI Award for Best Children’s Film

Keivan Majidi’s The Blue Girl (Iran)

Diorama International Film Festival, INDIA | 2021

FCCI Jury: Deepa Gahlot, Utpal Datta & S Viswanath

FCCI Award for Best Debut Feature — Gaurav Madan’s ‘Barah by Barah’

Kautik International Film Festival, INDIA | 2021

FCCI Jury: Dnyanesh Moghe, Dipsikha Bhagawati, & Aseem Chhabra

FCCI Award for Best Debut Short Fiction — Yaser Barzegar’s ‘Subservient’ (Iran)

FCCI Award for Best Debut Animation — Majid Sabri’s ‘Dream’ (Iran)

Indian Film Festival of Cincinnati, USA | 2021

FCCI Jury: Meena Karnik (chair), Piyush Roy, & Parthajit Baruah

FCCI Award for Best Debut Feature | Kripal Kalita’s Bridge

FCCI Award for Best Debut Short Fiction | Nemil Shah’s Dal Bhat

FCCI Special Mention — WOMB. Women of my Billion

Chalachitram National Film Festival | 2021

FCCI Jury: Dnyanesh Moghe (chair), Vijay Sharma, & S. Viswanath

FCCI Special Mention — Best Child Artiste | Yaikhomba (The Tainted Mirror)

FCCI Special Mention — Best Cinematography | Amogh Deshpande (Deliverance)

Kautik International Film Festival, INDIA | 2020

FCCI Jury: Meghachandra Kongbam (chair), Amborish Roychoudhury, & S. Viswanath

FCCI Award for Best Student Film

Zahra Kababian & Amir Mahdi Safdari’s WINTER MEMORIES (Iran)

Flora Nakazone’s DRIFT  (Brazil)

Indian Film Festival of Cincinnati, USA | 2020

FCCI Jury: Anil Zankar (chair), Utpal Datta, & Amborish Roychoudhury

FCCI Award for Best Debut Feature | Kislay’s AISE HI

FCCI Special Mention — Debut Feature | Prateek Vats’ EEB ALLAY OOO!

FCCI Award for Best Short Fiction | Atanu Mukherjee’s WIG

Le Festival des Films Indiens de Toulouse, FRANCE | 2019

FCCI jury: Baradwaj Rangan (Chair), Deepa Gahlot, Gautam Kaul, Johnson Thomas, & Ratnottama Sengupta

FCCI Award for Best Debut Feature | Mari Selvaraj’s PARYIYERUM PERUMAL

Smile International Film Festival for Children & Youth (SIFFCY) | 2019

FCCI jury: Ratnottama Sengupta, Johnson Thomas, & Utpal Datta

FCCI Award for Best Children’s Film | Abas Aram’s Here My Village

FCCI SPECIAL MENTION Award | Johan Timmers’ Vechtmeisje /FIGHT GIRL

One of the primary objectives of the Film Critics Circle of India (FCCI) is to encourage the production of cinema of high artistic and aesthetic value, chiefly through the institution of the FCCI Awards.

5th annual Film Critics Circle of India Citation Award (2020)

For the Best Indian Film censored in 2019, or uncensored and publicly exhibited anywhere in the world in 2019

In total, 33 Film Critics from all over India cast their vote.

The films that were in nomination

4th annual Film Critics Circle of India Citation Award (2019)

For the Best Indian Film censored in India in 2018 and/or released anywhere in the world in 2018

A total of 23 Film Critics from all over India cast their vote.

Here’s what a few Members of the Jury have to say:

“With its ensemble cast, energetic storytelling, fluid camera work and tongue-in-cheek look at religion, society and relationships, Ee.Maa.Yau creates a moody yet satirical portrait of life.”

   –Utpal Borpujari

“Upsets the postcards of a seaside village by unleashing the long take and emotionally charged non-stars, simulating actual lighting, and situating the primary focus on have-nots desiring the glory of wants; to serve the purpose of the neorealist church.

“Lijo Jose Pellissery’s morbid satire is the extension of an experimental/versatile body of work that pioneered and continues to represent the so-termed new-gen cinema of Malayalam.”

   –Dalton

“Superbly orchestrated rumination on life and death in a coastal Kerala village, where the follies and foibles of mankind, the workings of fate and the manifestations of grief are portrayed in a manner that is both culturally specific and universally resonant.”

   –Saibal Chatterjee

“Brilliant and faithful portrayal of a fishing village near Cochin, exposing the inhuman practices of the church and the helpessness of the downtrodden in a so-called civilized society.”

   –Madhu Eravankara

“With a gripping narrative style, Lijo Jose Pellissery’s Ee.Ma.Yau is a brilliantly portrayed film on death that reveals a range of symbolic implications, with a touch of humour and an almost obsessive concern with human mortality. The death of the old man Vavachan mestri, his son Eeshi’s promise to his father to have a grand funeral and the subsequent dramas are a reflection of our dreams and disenchantments, our hopes and disillusionments.”

   –Parthajit Baruah

“Deserves kudos for its sincerity in enacting a funeral drama that looks at sub-altern realities in a rural Keralite backdrop with the sea and Christianity forming layers of cinematic significance.”

   –Manoj Barpujari

The films that were nominated

3rd annual Film Critics Circle of India Citation Award (2018)

For the Best Indian Film censored in India in 2017 and/or released anywhere in the world in 2017

“A milestone film of sorts, Village Rockstars epitomises the trials and tribulations, and heralds the coming of age, of a filmmaker, of her protagonist, and of the indie film movement in India.”

   –Dalton

“Rima Das’ film is a lyrical montage of life and times in contemporary rural India. It subtly draws attention to complex gender issues – sometimes even subverting the conventional gender norms – without ever getting preachy. Bhanita Das – the pint-sized fiery ball of lovable energy – is endearingly natural. But just when one fears that the film might become schmaltzy, the film-maker takes control. The lens speaks volumes, sometimes conveying more than the dialogues. Such a work by a first-time director holds a lot of promise for Indian cinema.”

   –Priyanka Dasgupta

“A women’s journey into the heart of the matter.”

   –Prem Chand

Nominations

2nd annual Film Critics Circle of India Citation Award (2017)

For the Best Indian Film released in India in 2016 and/or released outside India in 2016

1st annual Film Critics Circle of India Citation Award (2016)

For the best Indian film theatrically released in India in 2015