It’s the biggest win of my life: Adarsh Gourav on losing BAFTA to Anthony  Hopkins  

For all of us  who were hoping to see Adarsh Gourav win the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) award for his stunning  portrayal  of an underdog’s revenge on Capitalism in The White Tiger, I  feel we were all living in a fool’s paradise. At  least two of the nominees Chadwick Boseman in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and  Anthony Hopkins in The Father were far more deserving of the honour.

It was  presumed Chadwick’s untimely death would tilt  the scales in his  favour. But BAFTA surprised us. It  gave the Best Actor to Anthony Hokpins for his portrayal of impossibly difficult patriarch  struck by dementia  in  The Father. Sir Anthony’s performance exudes the find of fabulous fumes that spread their fragrance  of excellence for years to come.

No one deserved the BAFTA more than Anthony Hopkins. Adarsh Gourav acknowledged this when minutes after losing  the  award he told me, “It is  the biggest win of  my life.”

And  to that  I may  add, many many more occasions to win awards are on the anvil.

Significantly this year both  the BAFTA  for best  actor and actress have gone to performers past 70. Again  Frances MacDormand not getting awarded  for Nomadland would have  been too much  of a cop-out. Just because she is no stranger to awards, it doesn’t follow that she should be put on the backseat. Ms MacDormand is spectacularly authentic in  Nomadland. I didn’t catch a single false note in her portrayal.

The Indian presence at the BAFTA awards was strong this year. Besides Adarsh Gourav , Irrfan and Rishi Kapoor were  honoured. Priyanka Chopra  regaled her fans on the red carpet in a dangerously risqué dress.