Award-winning filmmaker-director Jahnu Barua is angry for being nominated in the ‘best debut director’ category, by the 12th annual Star Screen Awards for his internationally acclaimed Hindi film ‘Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara’. These Awards will held in Mumbai on January 15.

And Barua has good reason to be angry because ‘Maine Gandhi…’ is his tenth film as director, he has so far won 10 National Film Awards and 23 awards at international festivals. “I am very much insulted,” Barua said reacting to his inclusion in the “best debut director” category of Star Screen Awards.

The Screen Awards jury tried to justify their point by saying that Barua has mostly made films in Assamese and has won awards of them but “Maine Gandhi…” is his first Hindi film therefore he has been selected for this category.

But Barua dismissed their point, “Do you mean to say that if (’Gandhi’ director) Richard Attenborough made a film tomorrow in Hindi, he would be nominated for some award as a debut making filmmaker?” Barua asked. He also pointed out that even his debut film ‘Aparoopa’ (1982) was made simultaneously in Hindi with a separate cast.

Barua came to know about the nomination through popular newspaper where Barua is figuring in the debut director section with newcomers like Pradeep Sarkar for ‘Parineeta’ and Onir for ‘My Brother Nikhil’.

This nomination would definitely be a shock for someone who was even honoured with Padma Shri in 2003, the country’s fourth highest civilian award, for his contribution to cinema.