Katrina Kaif is the recipient of the Smita Patil Memorial Award, one of the highest honours for actresses in Indian cinema who have proven themselves to be hard working and having contributed to the medium.
However criticism has abounded over whether Kaif is a worthy winner. Smita, who was also an activist and member of the Women’s Centre in Mumbai, starred in compelling roles in ground breaking works such as Manthan, Aakrosh and Chakra. In comparison, Kaif has featured in a number of typical Bollywood melodramas and action stories, such as Dhoom 3, Baar Baar Dekho and Namastey London. Since the inception of her career, she has been dogged by criticism for her repetitive roles as a smiling, dancing beauty in male-heavy films.
A large proportion of the criticism came from twitter, with many debating the value of the awards now and questioning whether Kaif even knew of Smita.
Actress Swara Bhaskar jumped to the Baar Baar Dekho actress’ defence, saying: “Whether or not Katrina Kaif is a good actor notwithstanding, there is no denying that she is a hugely hard-working, disciplined and diligent person. It reflects in her work. Any artist of any field will tell you that hard work is something to be respected.”
Katrina, 33, who is currently shooting for Jagga Jasoos with Ranbir Kapoor, said:
“I believe the most important thing in art is truth. And I promise my attempt to be truthful and sincere to the craft which has largely given me the purpose of my life over the last 15 years.
“The one thing I do hope is that I continue to entertain the audience who have given me so much love and support. I hope I can make them proud of me.”
