“It’s The Biggest Win Of My Life,” Adarsh Gourav On Losing The BAFTA To Anthony Hopkins

For all of us  who were  hoping to see Adarsh Gourav win  the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) award for his stunning  portrayal  of an underdog’s revenge on Capitalism in The White Tiger, I  feel we were all living in a  fool’s paradise. At  least two of the nominees  Chadwick Boseman in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and  Anthony  Hopkins in The Father were  far more deserving  of the honour.

It was  presumed Chadwick’s untimely death would tilt  the scales in his  favour. But BAFTA surprised us. It  gave   the Best Actor to Anthony Hokpins for his portrayal of impossibly difficult  patriarch  struck by dementia  in  The Father. Sir Anthony’s performance  exudes  the  find of  fabulous fumes that spread their  fragrance  of excellence  for years  to come.

No one deserved the BAFTA more than Anthony Hopkins. Adarsh Gourav acknowledged this when minutes  after losing  the  award he told me, “It is  the biggest win of  my life.”

And  to that  I may  add, many many more  occasions to  win awards  are    on the anvil.

 Significantly this year  both  the BAFTA  for best  actor and actress have gone to performers past 70. Again  Frances MacDormand not getting awarded  for Nomadland would have  been too much  of a cop-out. Just because she is  no stranger  to  awards it doesn’t follow that she  should be   put on the backseat. Ms MacDormand is spectacularly authentic  in  Nomadland. I didn’t catch a single  false  note in her portrayal.

The Indian presence at  the BAFTA awards was strong this year.Besides Adarsh Gourav , Irrfan and Rishi Kapoor were  honoured. Priyanka Chopra  regaled  her fans  on the red carpet in a dangerously risqué dress. I  wonder why  our actresses  don’t wear  the  Saree which is  the most beautiful apparel  in  the universe, specially when  they represent us   on an international platform.