Veteran actor and director Amol Palekar was honored with the ‘NAFA Lifetime Achievement Award’ presented by the North American Film Association (NAFA). Palekar, who has ruled the hearts of audiences with his refined and mature acting in Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Kannada, and Malayalam films, received this honor at the grand and glittering ‘NAFA Glamorous Film Award Night’ held on July 25 at The California Theatre, San Jose, in the presence of a large Marathi audience from across America.
The event was graced by Maharashtra’s Honorable Minister of Culture Adv. Ashish Shelar, NAFA founder Abhijit Gholap, and several prominent figures from the Marathi film industry.
Upon accepting the award, Amol Palekar remarked, “In the future, dreams of working in Hollywood will be fulfilled through NAFA.”
Speaking further at the ceremony, Palekar said, “I’m deeply grateful to NAFA, Abhijit Gholap, and all you dear audiences for this recognition and honor. A few years ago, I had begun preparations for a film based on a story by Gauri Deshpande. My dream was to make a Marathi film featuring Nicole Kidman and Amitabh Bachchan. We even reached Nicole, she liked the script, and immediately agreed. However, there was a condition that we must partner with a Hollywood studio. Because of the complexity of that requirement, I let go of the idea. But had an organization like NAFA, its dedicated team, and someone like Abhijit existed at that time, that dream could have been realized. Now, with NAFA’s platform, I believe such dreams can come true.”
When presenting the award, NAFA Founder & President Abhijit Gholap said, “It is a moment of great pride and happiness to present this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award to Amol Palekar. His gentle, witty romantic roles and natural acting have won the hearts of Indian audiences for decades. Known also as a ‘Jubilee Star’ in Indian cinema, this honor is being given to a true legend from the hearts of Marathi fans across the United States. By accepting this award, Palekar has added even greater prestige to NAFA.”
The NAFA Film Award Night kicked off with grand red carpet entries. Actor Swapnil Joshi appeared first in a striking new look, receiving loud applause and cheers from the crowd. He was followed by Vaidehi Parshurami, Adinath Kothare, Amol Palekar with Sandhya Gokhale, Sonali Kulkarni with her daughter, Ashwini Bhave, Sachin Khedekar, Gajendra Ahire, Mahesh Kothare, Dr. Mohan Agashe, and Madhur Bhandarkar. They were joined by Cultural Minister Adv. Ashish Shelar of Maharashtra.
The evening featured vibrant Marathi folk dance performances, followed by the presentation of mementos to the artists. Singer Avadhoot Gupte was cheered on by the audience and requested to perform his hit songs Bai Bai Manmoracha and Aayushya He.
