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Manasi Parekh reacts to winning National Film Award for Best Actress: Big win for me as a working mother

Actor Manasi Parekh talks to HT City on being honoured with the National Film Award for her film Kutch Express.

Published on: Aug 16, 2024, 16:30:26 IST
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Manasi Parekh can’t contain her excitement as she talks to us after the 70th National Awards announcement today. She has bagged Best Actress for her 2023 Gujarati film Kutch Express.

Manasi Parekh in a still
Manasi Parekh in a still

“I am shooting for my new film, and got a message from Anand Tiwari ‘Congratulations on the National Award’ I exclaimed ‘what!’ He was the person who broke the news to me. I am still processing it, I can’t believe it,” tells the 38-year-old to HT City.

She has been in showbiz for two decades now, and looks at this award as a vindication for her struggle and hard work, “I work very hard, I love what I do. What makes this win even sweeter is that my husband and I have produced Kutch Express as well! I want to do the best work, produce the best of things.”

The journey ahead will be easier courtesy this win, she feels, “This will make people believe ‘these guys are legit’ My recent film Jhamkudi’s success and now this award makes it both box office and critical acclaim. It makes my name more credible for investors and producers to understand that Manasi does have it in her. It’s a great win for me.”

Parekh emphasises that this is also a big win for her as a working mother, “I have a seven-year-old daughter who has supported me in my work. My husband has been my backbone. This is a call for working women that they can achieve their dreams. Time cannot slow you down.”

  • Rishabh Suri
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Rishabh Suri

    Rishabh Suri is an Assistant Editor, film critic, and professional overthinker of plot points. He writes for HT City, keeping pace with an industry where news cycles expire long before the popcorn gets cold. He completed his graduation in English Honours from Kirori Mal College, followed by a Master’s degree in English Literature-effectively training his brain to over-analyse classic texts before applying those exact same skills to 3-hour Bollywood blockbusters. He got into the profession when he had barely graduated from college and has been at HT ever since. At HT, Rishabh reviews films with a simple rule: skip the dense academic jargon and get straight to the point. Beyond reviews, as Assistant Editor, he helps navigate the broader circus of showbiz, tracking everything from OTT shifts to sudden box office panics. In a beat driven by loud PR machinery and carefully scripted answers, Rishabh prefers cutting through the noise to focus on how stories get made and why trends shift. When he isn’t writing against a deadline, he is usually sitting in a dark theater, compulsively memorising dialogues. For Rishabh, analysing movies isn't just a day job- it’s a habit he couldn't turn off even if he tried.Read More