The 24th International Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFA), which was held at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, may have been a glitzy affair, but Kannada filmmaker Hemanth M. Rao described the experience as “a massive inconvenience” and “disrespectful”.
Rao, who was nominated in the Best Director (Kannada) category, said, “The whole IIFA experience was such a massive inconvenience and extremly disrespectful. I've been in this business for over a decade and this wasn't my first stint at award shows. It's always been a case where the winners are flown in and hosted for the event.”
The Sapta Sagaradaache Ello director said he waited till 3am, only to find out that there was no award for him. He also highlighted the fact that the nominees for the awards were not mentioned before announcing the winner.
Sapta Sagaradaache Ello is a two-part film that follows the story of two lovers Manu and Priya. In the first film, Side-A, the two are put to the test when Manu makes a wrong choice that puts him behing bars. In Side-B, the second part of the film, Manu is released from prison and he tries to build a new life for himself, but Priya still seems to loom in the back of his mind.
The films gained positive reviews scoring a whopping 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, following which Rao bagged the Best Director award at the 69th Filmfare Award South for the film.
Rao rose to fame with his directorial debut Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu, for which he won the Gollapudi Srinivas Award for Best First Time Director.
Tamil movie Ponniyin Selvan: II bagged several awards at the IIFA Utsavam—a part of the three-day event—ceremony honouring the south Indian film industry. However, Rajinikanth-starrer Jailer won the Best Picture award.