Ashutosh Gowariker's 'Toolsidas Junior' Wins Two Trophies At The 68th National Awards

Twenty one years after winning his first National Award for the classic film, Lagaan, filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker bags the National Award again for his production, Toolsidas Junior. The film, co-produced by Sunita Gowariker, Bhushan Kumar, and Krishan Kumar, under the banners of Ashutosh Gowariker Productions Private Limited and T-Series, and directed by Mridul Toolsidass, has won two awards at the 68th National Awards.Toolsidas Junior bagged the Best Hindi Film Award at the 68th National Film Awards for the year 2020, while the lead actor of the film, Varun Buddhadev, earned a Special Mention in feature films under the child actor category. Interestingly, Ashutosh Gowariker's Lagaan and Toolsidas Junior, both based on sports backgrounds, hold human emotions at their core.Talking about the victory, Ashutosh Gowariker shares, "It is a great honour to be bestowed with the coveted award again. What makes it even more special is that 'Toolsidas Junior' was my first ever production venture. We, at AGPPL, took the plunge to create a platform for young and talented directors to tell their stories, and I was extremely overjoyed to witness the fruit of our efforts. The sports genre has always been dear to my heart. After Lagaan, now Toolsidas has won me the highest honour for yet another sports drama."Director Mridul Toolsidass shares, "I cannot imagine a greater tribute to both my real and reel fathers, as we won this award today. 'Toolsidas Junior' was my passion project to pay an ode to my father, who was played by Rajiv Kapoor on screen. Unfortunately, my father as well as Rajiv Sir passed away before the release of the film. However, I am sure it was their blessings that have resulted in this victory today."