Hong Kong:
Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s “Bajirao Masatni”, starring Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Priyanka Chopra, has bagged five nominations, including best film at the 10th Asian Film Awards (AFA).
The movie comes second in the nominations race after the Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s kung fu masterpiece “The Assassin”, which has topped the list with nine nods, including best film, best director, best cinematography, and best actress for Shu Qi.
Police thriller “Port of Call,” is tied for second place with the Deepika Padukone-Ranveer Singh starrer, which has also been nominated for best editing (Rajesh Pandey), best original music (Nihar Ranjan Samal) and best visual effects (Prasad Sutar).
Ace designer Anju Modi and Maxima Basu have scored a nod in the best costume category for the period love saga.
Filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj, whose tragic drama “Haider” received four nominations last year, has landed a nod for best screenplay for real-life inspired crime drama “Talvar”.
Debutante Vicky Kaushal has had an amazing run with “Masaan” last year and the AFA have acknowledged his performance with the best newcomer nod.
SS Rajamouli’s epic historical fiction has bagged a nomination in the best visual effects category for Srinivas Mohan. Composer Amit Trivedi’s complete vintage treat in “Bombay Velvet” has been nominated in the best original music category.
The four acting categories, however, do not feature any Indian stars.
For best actor, the nominees include Donnie Yen, Nagase Masatoshi, Feng Xiaogang, Lee Byung-hun and John Arcilla from the Philippines.
And in best actress category, Shu Qi will face competition from Zhao Tao, Haruka Ayase, Kim Hye-soo, and Karena Lam.
Inaugurated in 2007, the Asian Film Awards celebrates excellence in Asian cinema through the annual presentation of awards to the many diverse talents and films that make up the dynamic film industries of the region.
36 films from nine Asian countries are competing for the top honours this year and the winners will be felicitated at a star-studded ceremony in Macau on March 17.
