Ekta Nagar (Gujarat): The National Film Awards (NFA) will move beyond the national capital to prominent tourist destinations across India, with Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday asking states and Union Territories to nominate major attractions and undertake improvements there for a chance to host future editions of the ceremony.
Speaking at the 72nd National Film Awards ceremony at Ekta Nagar, near the Statue of Unity, Vaishnaw said the idea was to combine the reach of the country’s premier film awards with India’s diverse tourism destinations.
He cited India’s hosting of the G20 in 2023 as an example of taking a major national event beyond a single location.
“When the G20 was held, India took it across the country, to every corner, every state and every Union Territory, with more than 200 meetings held across over 60 cities,” he said.
Vaishnaw said the approach had demonstrated how India’s cultural diversity could be presented to visitors and the world, and that a similar thought process had been adopted for the National Film Awards.
“This year’s NFA… let us take the National Film Awards to very important tourist destinations of our country,” he added.
Ekta Nagar, formerly known as Kevadia, is home to the 182-metre Statue of Unity dedicated to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
The state government describes it as the world’s tallest statue and lists a range of attractions in the surrounding area, including the Valley of Flowers, Arogya Van, Cactus Garden, Butterfly Garden, Sardar Sarovar and Vishwa Van.
The Union Minister said the next destination would be selected through nominations from states and Union Territories.
He asked them to identify one of their most important tourist destinations and specify the improvements they would undertake.
“Make those improvements, and then your destination will be selected and we’ll have the next round of NFA in the selected tourist destination,” Vaishnaw said.
He added that the arrangement would allow the film industry to experience different parts of the country while also bringing greater visibility to the destinations hosting the awards.
“The film world, all of you are so popular among the youngsters, among the entire country. When you visit that tourist destination, it will naturally promote the destination on its own,” he said.
He described the approach as a “win-win”, saying film personalities would get an opportunity to experience different destinations while those locations could benefit from the exposure generated by the ceremony.
The move marks a departure from the National Film Awards’ long-established association with Delhi.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has said future editions will be held in different states and cities, taking the ceremony beyond the national capital.
The National Film Awards were instituted in 1954 and have more than seven decades recognised creative and technical achievements across India’s feature films, non-feature films and writing on cinema.
The 72nd edition, being held on September 22 at Ekta Nagar, honours films from 2024.
Vaishnaw said the choice of Ekta Nagar was intended to give members of the film industry an opportunity to experience the area’s heritage and the history associated with India’s freedom struggle and national integration.
(IANS)
