Manoj Bajpayee wins Best Actor Award at IFFM for Gali Guleiyan!

Two time National Award winning actor, Manoj Bajpayee’s Hindi psychological drama, Gali Guleiyan (In the Shadows) continued its winning ways at the prestigious Indian Film Festival of Melbourne, last night.

The film won accolades in two out the four categories that it was nominated in (Best actor: Manoj Bajpayee, Best Director: Dipesh Jain, Best Supporting Actor: Ranvir Shorey, Best Indie Film).

Manoj Bajpayee won the Best Actor award for his heart-wrenching portrayal of a man trapped within the walls and alleys of Old Delhi and his own mind, who attempts to break free to find a human connection. The nominees in this category included- Akshay Kumar (Padman), Ranbir Kapoor (Sanju), Ranveer Singh & Shahid Kapoor (Padmaavat), Varun Dhawan (October), among others.

Gali Guleiyan also earned a Special Jury Mention in the Best Indie Film category.

A visibly happy Manoj said, “It is a fantastic feeling to win the award for the best actor at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne. It is even more satisfying when you know that so many other films across genres and so many actors who have all done such a great job, were in competition. My character in Gali Guleiyan is a very complex one with many layers and the film itself is a difficult one to make. Hats off to our director Dipesh, who despite being a newcomer, came up with such a great idea, made this challenging film and has taken it to festivals across the world. The adulation that the film has received has been overwhelming and we are very excited to now take it to our audience as the film sets up for its release in theatres worldwide on 7th September.”

Adds debutant director, Dipesh Jain: “I can’t be more happy that we’ve won two awards tonight. Look at the fellow nominations – they are best of the best in the industry. I’m super proud of this achievement. This award that celebrates both mainstream and indie films, shows that our film has a broader appeal with both jury and the audience. That’s great as we head for a theatrical release of the film in a few weeks. I’ll encourage everyone to come watch our film in theatres on Sept 7th as it surely will give them an immersive psychological experience like never before. ”

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