Vasantrao Deshpande hits a perfect pitch

PUNE: ‘Mee Vasantrao’, the biopic of the late classical music great Vasantrao Deshpande, won big at the 68th National Film Awards announced on Friday. And for his grandson, Rahul Deshpande, it was a moment deeply personal and elation, as he won the award for the Best Male Playback Singer for the film.
“It is doubly special as it’s a tribute to my grandfather, Vasantrao Deshpande, on whose life the film is based.The credit goes to the director, Nipun Dharmadhikari, the producers and the entire sound department for which I got the award as a playback singer,” said Deshpande, also a modern classical music great in his own right.
Deshpande, who also appeared in the lead role of the film as his grandfather, had previously sung in films such as ‘Balgandharva’ and ‘Katyar Kaljat Ghusali’, and also appeared in the original stage adaptation of the latter.
“I enjoyed composing songs for this film and acting. We had to face many obstacles while shooting. But each and every second of that journey was special and satisfying,” Deshpande added.
Mee Vasantrao was also recognised for its audiography, with the film’s sound designer, Anmol Bhave, sharing the National Film Award for Best Audiography.
Among the other films from Maharashtra (see box) recognised by the jury of the awards were ‘Goshtha Eka Paithanichi’ (Best Marathi Film) and ‘Sumi’ (Best Children’s Film). Veteran actor Kishore Kadam won a Special Jury Mention for his part in two films, ‘Godakaath’ and ‘Avwanchhit’. In the non-feature film category, Vishesh Iyer, an alumnus of the MIT School of Film and Television, was awarded Best Debut Non-Feature Film for a Director, for ‘Pariah’.