NEW DELHI: President Droupadi Murmu said on Tuesday that films and social media are powerful mediums to bring changes in the society and make more impact in creating awareness among people.Murmu presented Mithun Chakraborty the Dadasaheb Phalke Award and honoured other winners of the 70th National Film Awards, including music composer AR Rahman, actors Rishab Shetty, Nithya Menen and Manasi Parekh. “Our films reflect the artistic sense of our society… Life is changing. The paradigms of art are changing… Amidst all these changes, the unchanging values of love, compassion, and service are still making our individual and collective lives meaningful. We can see all these values portrayed in the films awarded today,” she said.The President said though the languages and backgrounds of award-winning films may be different, they all are reflections of India. “These films are a treasure trove of experiences of Indian society. Indian traditions and their diversity come alive in these films,” she said.The President said the film industry can contribute to women-led development. “I attend many convocation functions at educational institutions. The number of female students receiving awards is more than that of male students. The film industry can make more efforts towards women-led development,” she said, noting out of about 85 awards presented, only 15 were given to women artists.Chakraborty said he would always whine about his looks and continuous struggle but after getting the award, he had stopped complaining to God. Urging youth to strive, he said, “They shouldn’t lose hope even if they don’t have resources. They may sleep but don’t let their dreams doze off,” he said.I&B minister Ashwini Vaishnaw underlined the Centre’s commitment to developing the film industry through a three-pronged strategy focusing on talent development, infrastructure and simplification.
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