What Did Sandeep Reddy Vanga Say On Rashmika Mandanna's Filmfare Snub

Delving into the nominations and winners of prestigious international awards like the Golden Globes and Emmy Awards, I realised how much of a nostalgic void I had for India's popular award show, the Filmfare Awards, also an annual watching ritual in my family. The much-anticipated nominations for the 69th Filmfare Awards were unveiled on January 15.

In contrast to the global trend, where women took centre stage in nominations and victories, the Filmfare landscape painted a different picture. Though we had the best film produced, directed, and led by females in 2023, it was no surprise that Shah Rukh Khan stole the spotlight because it was his official year last year. What grabbed my attention was the movie Animal, which racked up a massive 19 nominations, making it one of the top contenders. Now, here's where it gets more confusing: The director of Animal, Sandeep Reddy Vanga, decided to drop a bombshell. He said the industry is more into promoting its own people than welcoming new and creative minds from the outside, and he cited the Indian Awards as an example.

Sandeep Reddy Vanga Shocked By Rashmika Mandanna's Filmfare Snub

In a surprising turn of events, Rashmika Mandanna, the female lead in Animal, was not nominated for any awards. During a recent interview with Siddharth Kannan, Sandeep Reddy Vanga shared his astonishment at Mandanna's exclusion from the Best Actress nominations. Discussing her performance in the film, he said, "It is not an easy performance, what I believed. She was giggling, laughing. She is going mad. She is going crazy. That was not easy. It is an 11-minute scene. She was holding the scene."

Back in 2020, Gully Boy went on to make history as the film with the most Filmfare wins ever, securing 13 awards.

Now, as we are in this era of "nothing's surprising anymore," we've reached a point where we're prepared for anything, especially the inevitable controversies and heated discussions that accompany award nominations and winners. We're all set with our popcorn for the grand show of controversies and chit-chats around award nominations and winners. Seriously, what's an awards season without a bit of drama?

69th Filmfare Nominations

And if you've missed this year's nominations, here's the lowdown on all the 69th Filmfare nominations, with a sprinkle of extra insights in case Filmfare might've missed them. The coveted Best Film nominations feature the stellar lineup of 12th Fail, Animal, Jawan, Omg 2, Pathaan, and Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. If this line-up included only big releases, then Dunki seemed to be missing.

Onward we go to the Best Director nods, where the contenders are Amit Rai (Omg 2), Atlee (Jawan), Karan Johar (Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani), Sandeep Reddy Vanga (Animal), Siddharth Anand (Pathaan), and Vidhu Vinod Chopra (12th Fail). Moving ahead, kudos to critics for remembering the women in the director's chair. Critics' nominations for Best Director include Meghna Gulzar for Sam Bahadur and Nandita Das for Zwigato. Because Filmfare knows women direct too!

Now, for the leading ladies! Best Actor In A Leading Role has Alia Bhatt (Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani), Bhumi Pednekar (Thank You For Coming), Deepika Padukone (Pathaan), Kiara Advani (Satyaprem Ki Katha), Rani Mukerji (Mrs. Chatterjee Vs Norway), and Taapsee Pannu (Dunki). Critics' nods for Best Actor feature Deepti Naval (Goldfish), Fatima Sana Shaikh (Dhak Dhak), Rani Mukerji again (Mrs. Chatterjee Vs Norway), Saiyami Kher (Ghoomer), Shahana Goswami (Zwigato), and Shefali Shah (Three Of Us).

Wondering why isn't Katrina Kaif in these nominations. Didn't Tiger 3 come out in India only? Also, Nayanthara and Rashmika Mandanna didn't get any nod for Jawan and Animal, but surprisingly, Triptii Dimri bagged a nomination for best-supporting actor for Animal. Also, there are no nominations for debutants this year.

Views expressed are the author's own.