Mumbai, Jan 8 (NationPress) - Filmmaker Rohit Shetty has shared his thoughts on a surprising reality: despite his numerous blockbuster films, he has yet to receive any awards. The acclaimed director recently attended an event hosted by The Indian National Cine Academy (INCA), where he humorously remarked, “Mere aur awards ka door-door tak koi rishta-naata nahi hai. 17 filmein ho gayi hai, sirf hosting ke liye jaata hoon (There is absolutely no connection between me and awards. I have done 17 films and only been invited there for hosting).”

Also present at the event, actor Manoj Tiwari discussed his own experiences with awards, recounting a Bhojpuri film from 2004 that was produced for just Rs. 30 lakhs but grossed Rs. 54 crores. “Yet, neither the director nor the writer received an award (laughs). Even I didn’t win anything. So, I’d like to thank Vishnu,” he said.

Tiwari added, “We have always been told in this country ki hamesha ek lambi line kheench dijiye. Woh Vishnu ne kiya hai. I know Mr. Vishnu Induri is capable. In Bihar, we watch Hindi cinema. There are 34 crore Bhojpuri residents. We didn’t know who worked in Chennai or Hyderabad. Vishnu created a platform that has educated us about the industry. Thus, I see INCA as a significant step forward.”

For those unfamiliar, INCA aims to promote collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and transparency across various languages, regions, and crafts.

The announcement of INCA was made in the presence of notable filmmakers, producers, artists, and cultural figures including Rohit Shetty, Anand L Rai, Prosenjit Chatterjee, Dil Raju, Manoj Tiwari, Navraj Hans, Manmohan Shetty, Khushbu Sundar, Lakshmi Manchu, Ankur Garg, Vishnu Vardhan Induri, Shibasish Sarkar, among other esteemed professionals, with the Producers Guild of India as the Chief Patron of this initiative.

In his speech, Vishnu Vardhan Induri, the Founder of INCA, stated, “INCA is being built with intent, integrity, and purpose. Our aim is to establish a permanent national institution that encourages collaboration across industries, acknowledges excellence fairly, and creates a universal talent database for Indian cinema.”

Commenting on the collaboration, Shibasish Sarkar, President of the Producers Guild of India, remarked, “INCA signifies an essential step towards institutionalizing collaboration, credibility, and transparent processes for a unified awards platform that equitably celebrates all Indian languages. The Guild is proud to support this initiative as Chief Patron.”

The inaugural edition of the INCA Awards is set to take place on March 9 in Mumbai, marking a pivotal moment in the formation of this new national institution.

The Indian National Cine Academy not only serves as an awards platform but is designed as a national ecosystem for Indian cinema, featuring an annual Cinema Conclave, a transparent awards framework, and a universal database of actors, technicians, and creative professionals from twelve Indian film industries. This database aims to facilitate cross-industry and regional collaboration, thereby strengthening the Indian film ecosystem.