MUMBAI: After a successful run at the box office, Yash Raj Films’Chak De! India added one more feather in its cap. The Shah Rukh Khan starrer bagged the Best Film award at the 5th Australian Indian Film Festival.
The Australian Indian Film Festival awards were announced at Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art and were hosted by film critic Peter Thompson. The awards were chosen by a group of Australian film critics, including Thompson, Margaret Pomeranz, Nell Schofield and Ian Taylor.
Incidentally, Chak De! India, which revolves around the Indian women’s hockey team, was shot in Sydney and Melbourne. The film directed by Shimit Amin also features many Australian hockey players and more than 9000 locals as extras.
Additionally, actor Akshaye Khanna received the award for Best Performance for his portrayal of Mahatma Gandhi’s son Harilal in Feroz Khan’s Gandhi – My Father. The film has also been accepted into competition at the Tokyo International Film Festival and is also competing in the best screenplay award at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards.
The Australian Indian Film Festival opened with the screening of Gandhi My Father, and will showcase the best in Indian cinema over the next 10 days.