The legendary-in-her-own-right actress Mala Sinha who has been awarded the Lifetime Achievement award at the Filmfare awards 2018 is not overjoyed at the belated recognition.
Malaji says it’s not as though she has lost faith in the awards in recent times. “It was always like that. My best performances in films like Dharmputra, Dhool Ka Phool (where I played an unwed mother), Gumrah, Bahurani and Jahan Ara were never recognised. For Guru Dutt’s Pyaasa, my difficult role of a girl who sacrifices love for financial security in her marriage was ignored as a ‘negative’ character. My reward came many years later when Mahesh Bhatt Saab praised me in Pyaasa for conveying so many emotions through my eyes.”
The actress feels she has always been given a raw end of the deal when it comes to recognition for her work but says she feels no regret for having failed to get awards during her career. “Nowadays there are at least 10-12 award functions. They mean nothing. Even when awards meant something they were manipulated. My Baba (father) always told me I should be happy with the recognition and fame that I get. I never wooed the awards or asked journalists to write about me. I never knew how to do my own promotion. Maybe that’s why I got left behind.”
Not that Malaji is not happy about being recognised for her work.
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