Actor Irrfan Khan was very disappointed when Tabu, his co-star in Haider (2014) did not receive the National Award for the film. The 48-year-old says that things like these have made him question the authenticity of these coveted awards. “I am surprised why Tabu did not get a National Award. Her performance in Haider was one of the best performances by any Indian actress in Hindi cinema,” he says, adding, “There are so many awards nowadays and no one cares about them. They don’t even write your name (on an award). Awards are like a TV show, so you can give that award to anyone, it does not matter. Everyone tries to hide and say that they are non-biased, but there are 4-5 people sitting there and deciding who wins what. It’s all a joke.”
The actor, who is awaiting the release of Piku, feels that awards must be given to individuals who add novelty to the industry. “Awards should be for people who bring new elements and give new dimensions. I think it is high time that we come up with an award with integrity and respect. When you get an award which carries weight, it feels nice. I was surprised when I got the Padma Shri (2011). It made me feel that whatever I was doing was reaching people,” he says.
Irrfan has recently started work on his Hollywood project, Inferno, and says that he looks up to that industry because they respect talent, something that Bollywood should learn. “They respect talent. If they see talent, they will be the first to incorporate it. We don’t care about talent at all. We are just surviving on mediocrity. We should learn how to recognise talent and respect it,” he says.
