Indian American couple wins 2 National Film Awards in India

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“Irada,” a film produced by Indian Americans Falguni and Chintu Patel, was given the Best Film on Environment award at The National Film Awards 2018 ceremony at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi on May 3.

Divya Dutta also won the Best Supporting Actress award for the film.

The awards were presented by India’s President Ram Nath Kovind and Information & Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani.

President Kovind said on the occasion, “This is a special moment for all of you.” He added that cinema is “an expression of Indian soft power and has a transcontinental footprint,” President Kovind said at the ceremony.

“Irada,” starring Naseeruddin Shah, Arshad Warsi and Indian American Prashantt Guptha, and raises the contemporary ecological issues of uranium poisoning, reverse boring and fertilizer poisoning due to the green revolution and their adverse impact on the people who live in India’s Malwa region, which extends to parts of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

Chintu and his brother Chirag Patel are co-chairmen of Amneal Pharmaceuticals, the fifth largest generics drugs firm in America.

“We will be making more content-based films, making more web series and growing it into certain other media outlets over a period of time,” Chintu Patel said upon receiving the award.