Kannada filmmaker Hemanth Rao had an unpleasant experience at this year's IIFA Awards. He complained that despite being invited and made to wait until 3 AM, he did not receive an award. Hemanth described the incident as "extremely disrespectful," explaining that he wasn't upset about not winning, but rather about having his time wasted.
Rao, known for directing the 2023 hit Sapta Saagaradaache Ello, took to Instagram to express his frustration with IIFA. He criticised the event for the way he was treated and shared his disappointment about the experience. The filmmaker penned a long note and wrote, "The whole IIFA experience was such a massive inconvenience and extremely disrespectful. I’ve been in this business for over a decade and this wasn't my first stint at award shows. It has always been a case where the winners are flown in and hosted for the event. For context, I was sat till 3 AM in the morning only to realize there was no award. The same happened to my Music Director: Charan Raj."
He further added, "it's your award. You can give it to whoever you want to. That's your choice!! I haven’t won MANY awards and haven't lost sleep over it, so these grapes aren't sour. If all the other nominees were invited and one winner emerged out of it. I wouldn't bother getting irritated. Also, the format this year was just to hand out the award. The nominees weren’t even mentioned."
"Maybe it's been a while for you and your team to realize it. Your award shows run on the talent that you put on your stage. NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND. I don't need your award to enjoy the best job in the world. Next time you need me on your stage… and TRUST ME...you will. Take your award and keep it where the sun doesn't shine. Everything has a silver lining. Mine was to see several of my team members go up on stage and receive a bunch of awards. It wasn't a complete waste of time," he concluded.
Hemanth M. Rao is an Indian film director and screenwriter known for his work in Kannada cinema. He gained fame with his directorial debut, Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu (2016), which was a significant success.
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