Sanya Malhotra reflects on ‘Kathal’ journey as it wins Best Hindi Film at National Awards

Actor Sanya Malhotra is full of emotion and gratitude as her film ‘Kathal: A Jackfruit Mystery’ has won the Best Hindi Film at the 71st National Film Awards.

Sanya shared a heartfelt post on Instagram after the win. She also posted some behind-the-scenes photos from the film’s shoot. In her caption, she remembered a special moment from her preparation days that stayed with her.

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She wrote about a trip to Ghatigaon, a village that inspired the film’s story. “During the prep for ‘Kathal’, I remember Yasho (Yashowardhan Mishra, the director) and I driving to Ghatigaon. Meeting the people who inspired him to write this story changed something in me. I still remember sitting in that car, holding onto the weight of what it meant to play Mahima. I was overwhelmed, humbled, and so deeply grateful,” she shared.

Sanya Malhotra on ‘Kathal’:

Sanya plays Mahima, a young police officer who gets caught up in an unusual case. The film is a satirical comedy-drama about a politician’s missing jackfruit trees and how Mahima has to solve the strange mystery.

Directed by Yashowardhan Mishra and written by Ashok Mishra, ‘Kathal’ released on Netflix and was a production of Shobha Kapoor, Ekta Kapoor, Guneet Monga, and Achin Jain under Balaji Motion Pictures and Sikhya Entertainment.

Also Read: Shah Rukh, Vikrant Massey win National Award; Rani Mukherjee ‘Best Actress’

The movie also features a strong ensemble cast: Anant V Joshi, Vijay Raaz, Rajpal Yadav, Brijendra Kala, Neha Saraf, and Raghubir Yadav.

The film mixes humour and social commentary, showing how women police officers often deal with strange assignments while also trying to prove their abilities in an upper-caste male-dominated space.

Sanya, who has slowly carved her place in Bollywood with offbeat and meaningful roles, said she normally likes to focus only on the work.

“I used to believe that with every film, my job was simple: keep my head down, serve the story, serve the audience, and give my heart to the work. I still believe that,” she said.

But after the National Award win, she allowed herself a rare pause: “Today, ‘Kathal’ has won a National Award. I’m allowing myself a moment; to feel joy, pride, and gratitude for this film, for this team, and for the stories that move us all.”

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