Panaji: Actor Manoj Bajpayee, celebrated for his roles in critically-acclaimed indie films like 'Gali Guleiyan', 'Bhosle', and 'Joram', stated on Friday that international film festival awards often do not translate into success for independent films domestically. The actor noted that the acclaim from such awards is ephemeral unless it involves the Oscars. "No matter how big an award the independent cinema from our country wins outside, some film that brought recognition for the country, it has nothing to do with the corporates or the business of the film. This is the problem I have with the awards. Awards don't create value in an actor or director's life," Bajpayee told PTI during the International Film Festival of India (IFFI). He added, "We receive an award, we party in the evening and forget the next day. But is that award getting me more films or are my films getting a good release? Is it helping me get a pay raise? No, it does nothing. An award's value lasts only for one night."

Recently, Hansal Mehta shared a review from The New Yorker of Payal Kapadia's Cannes Grand Prix-winning film 'All We Imagine As Light,' noting the film has yet to be picked up by any OTT platform. When asked about Mehta's comments, Bajpayee, who has collaborated with Mehta on films like 'Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar' and 'Aligarh,' said, "This is the truth. Hansal hasn't said anything that's not true."

Kapadia's 'All We Imagine As Light' is significant as it's the first Indian film in 30 years to compete in the official Cannes selection and also to win the Grand Prix. This Malayalam-Hindi film, an Indo-French co-production, was released in cinemas across India on Friday and is distributed by Rana Daggubati's Spirit Media.

Bajpayee observed that Oscar nominations bestow a newfound prestige. "They are suddenly flooded with offers. Their pay becomes better. People start developing more interest in that talent. A lot of our independent films return to the country after receiving a lot of recognition at international film festivals. But the moment they take the flight back and land here, there is no 'karta-dharta' (guardian) of that film. No one talks about the film, how it will be released or distributed. All this still remains in the dark. I've seen this. This is still happening," the multiple National Award winner remarked.

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