64th National Film Awards 2017: Priyanka Chopra's debut Marathi production Ventilator wins three honours

Mumbai: Actor Priyanka Chopra’s maiden Marathi production Ventilator won in three categories, including Best Director, at the 64th National Film Awards, it was announced here on Friday. [caption id=“attachment_3086284” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Priyanka Chopra recording a song for Ventilator. YouTube[/caption] Rajesh Mapuskar won Best Director, while Best Editing award went to Rameshwar Bhagat and Best Sound Mixing to Alok De for the film. The Marathi film, produced by Priyanka and her mother Madhu Chopra under their production banner Purple Pebble Pictures, revolves around an ailing senior member of a family who is being put on the ventilator just days before the popular Ganpati festival, leading to varied degrees of speculation and panic amongst the clan he belongs to. Mapuskar, who also wrote the film, says it all seems like a dream. “I’m speechless! Winning a National award for my debut Marathi film is nothing less than a dream come true. I’m really grateful to the entire team of Ventilator, especially producers Priyanka and Madhu, for backing the project and their belief in me,” Mapuskar said in a statement. The arguments over small things with family members, a distant relative suggesting home remedies for hair loss or other problems or parents looking for bride or groom - the film presents situations faced by most people in India making it easy to connect with it. Madhu also said, “It is surreal! What started as a dream for Purple Pebble Pictures has turned into reality, and the credit goes to the entire team for making it a huge success. I am grateful to the audience for appreciating the film, which is very close to my heart.”