I'm not done yet, there's more to come: Sooraj Barjatya on winning National Award for best director

Mumbai: Filmmaker Sooraj Barjatya has expressed his deep gratitude and honour upon winning the National Film Award for best director for Uunchai, saying his journey in cinema is far from over and there are many more stories to be told.

At the 70th edition of the National Film Awards for the year 2022, announced on Friday, the adventure drama film, which centred on four ageing friends readying to scale Mt Everest, also won Neena Gupta her second best supporting actress trophy.

Barjatya said his best director win evoked memories of his 1994 classic, Hum Aapke Hain Koun...!, which was honoured with the National Film Award for best popular film providing wholesome entertainment.

"I’m humbled to be honoured amongst the best that the country has seen in cinema during 2022. It takes me back 30 years when Hum Aapke Hain Koun won the National Award for best film. The rush and happiness that I felt as a young director then was crazy! "But today, as I get the National Award for best director for ‘Uunchai’, there is a sense of gratitude and calmness. The joy and happiness are much more internal today! As a director, my job for the last 35 years has been to keep telling stories. And I'm not done yet, there's much more to come,” the director said in a statement.

Starring Amitabh Bachchan, Anupam Kher, Boman Irani and Danny Denzongpa, Uunchai was released in November 2022 and marked Barjatya’s return to the big screen after a gap of seven years since the release of Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, starring Salman Khan and Sonam Kapoor Ahuja.

The movie chronicled the story of four friends in their twilight years who embark on a trek that turns out to be a personal, emotional and spiritual journey as they battle their physical limitations and discover the true meaning of freedom.

"I feel I have truly climbed Mount Everest today. This immense recognition belongs to my entire team of senior actors and technicians, who fought the pandemic and shot at unheard locations with me,” said Barjatya, also known for directing family dramas like Hum Saath-Saath Hain and Vivah.

“Our National Film Awards unite our industry because they are a celebration of films made in every language,” he added.

The filmmaker further said “Uunchai” was a special film for him as it was made in the 75th year of his production house, Rajshri Productions -- which was formed by his late grandfather Tarachand Barjatya on August 15, 1947.

“I would like to dedicate this award to Rajshri Productions and to all my elders in the family, under whom we continue to learn, to tell stories which can be inspiring, happy, and which help us trust each other and the power of goodness,” Barjatya added.

Uunchai also features Sarika, Nafisa Ali Sodhi, and Parineeti Chopra in pivotal roles.