‘WE FELT UNWORTHY AND DISRESPECTED’

National Awardwinner Shashaa Tirupati questions with a heavy heart, ‘Are we not worthy of receiving it from the President?’

Shashaa Tirupati is one of the recipients of the coveted National Awards. The singersongwriter, who won in the Best Female Playback Singer category for her song Vaan Varuvaan in Mani Ratnam’s Kaatru Veliyidai (2017), is proud of her achievement, but disappointed that she didn’t receive it from President Ram Nath Kovind, after a sudden turn of events.

During the dress rehearsal a day before the 65th National Film Awards (on May 3), the winners were informed that the President will give awards to only 11 winners out of 137. The rest were presented by Information and Broadcasting minister Smriti Zubin Irani and minister of state, Rajyavardhan Rathore.

“The point is with the expectation we all went for the awards that it’ll be presented by the President... So, the announcement made us feel like we are not worthy of receiving the award from the President... Something that has been happening for 64 years,” says Shashaa, who was earlier contemplating to boycott the ceremony, but later decided to attend it. “For a first timer like me, it was heartbreaking. I could’ve given it a miss, but I could not let down my parents, and jury members who found me worthy of the honour. Also, the award is prestigious, I could not, in any way, disrespect it,” says the singer, adding that her mother was “heartbroken”.

“Thank God my father didn’t come all the way from Canada. He is unfit to travel. Had he done it, he, would’ve been equally disappointed.”

While the singer eventually attended the ceremony, she has immense respect for those who boycotted it. “They were very supportive when they came to know that some of us were planning to attend the ceremony. The news first came as a shock and everyone reacted in different ways. After it sunk in, we started figuring out ways of working around it. This is not a privatised thing, [but] of national significance. So, we felt unworthy and disrespected,” says Shashaa, who, however, is “glad” that she received the award from Smriti Zubin Irani. “I have tremendous respect and liking for her. She spoke really well and highlighted how a lot of females won National Awards this year,” Shashaa signs off.

Shashaa Tirupati won in the Best Female Playback Singer category for her song Vaan Varuvaan in Mani Ratnam’s Kaatru Veliyidai (2017)