Pranutan Bahl's special tribute to grandmom Nutan at Filmfare Awards: Saree that lists all her Best Actress wins

Nutan's granddaughter Pranutan Bahl gave her a special tribute through her customised saree at the Filmfare Awards.

When actor Pranutan Bahl arrived at the 70th Filmfare Awards on Saturday night, her choice of attire – an embroidered saree – drew everyone’s attention. More than any fancy design, it was what the embroidery carried, a special ode to her grandmother, the legendary Nutan. In conversation with Hindustan Times, Pranutan talked about her gesture and family’s legacy.

Pranutan Bahl's customised saree at the Filmfare Awards was an ode to grandmother Nutan.

Nutan gets special honour at the awards

Nutan was bestowed with a special Cine Icon award at the ceremony posthumously. Receiving the award on her behalf were her son, veteran actor Mohnish Bahl and granddaughter Pranutan. Talking about the moment, Pranutan says, “Since I was a child, in some way or the other, I'm always representing her. I am the fifth generation of my family in the movies. I have always carried the responsibility of being Nutan ji’s granddaughter. And it's not only in my craft, it's also in the way that she and my father have always conducted themselves with utmost professionalism, dignity, and grace.”

Pranutan on her saree and grandmother's legacy

The saree she wore to the awards carried the titles of all the six films for which Nutan won a Filmfare Award. “My saree an ode to my grandmother. In the Hindi text, it has an embroidery of all the films for which she won Filmfare. We have Bandini, Milan, Seema, Sujata, Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki, and Meri Jung. All of that is embroidered on my saree like an ode to my grandmother,” says Pranutan.

Nutan, one of the foremost actors of Bollywood’s golden era in the 50s and 60s, was the first actress to win six Filmfares, five of them for Best Actress, a record that stood for over 60 years.

Talking about representing her grandmother and father’s legacy, Pranutan says, “It's beautiful to be surrounded by the craft that my family has given to the audiences and to the industry. My only goal and motivation is to live up to it. And I hope I don't ever let them down.”

Sharing a different aspect of cinema from the perspective of the ‘star kid’, Pranutan adds, “Unfortunately, in this whole sensationalisation of legacy families, I feel like somewhere we've forgotten the whole beauty of it. I speak for myself that when I was on the sets of literally all my father's movies, we had the twinkle in our eyes and the fact that we wanted to live up to whatever our parents and our grandparents had created. I think that's also such a beautiful emotion. I want to be like my father and my grandmother, and that's something that I still carry. I still have that same insane passion and fuel to be on a set every day.”

Pranutan's acting career

Pranutan made her acting debut opposite Zaheer Iqbal in the 2019 film Notebook. She has since starred in Helmet and Amar Prem Ki Prem Kahani. The actor will next be seen in the Hindi-English bilingual film Coco & Nut. Pranutan has finished filming two other films - a cop drama and a thriller. They are also awaiting release.