The winners of the 72nd National Film Awards were announced on Saturday, celebrating excellence in Indian cinema across categories. Among the winners was choreographer Vijay Ganguly, who bagged the National Award for Best Choreography for Aaj Ki Raat from Stree 2. For Ganguly, the honour is not just a career milestone but also the fulfilment of a childhood dream.
Speaking exclusively to HT City, Ganguly reveals that he was in Thailand when the awards were announced and had no idea he had won until he connected to the internet hours later. “I was not expecting this at all. I’ve been hoping for it for a very long time, ever since I was about five years old and understood what a National Award meant because those awards were always there in my house. My father had won two National Awards. But you never know how these things work, so I never expected it. I was in Thailand and had no network. When I returned to the hotel and the Wi-Fi connected, my phone was flooded with congratulatory messages for Aaj Ki Raat. I was wondering why everyone was congratulating me. Then I saw my sister’s calls and her message with the announcement. I was just stunned. I went numb for five minutes. I couldn’t process what had just happened.”
The win carries an emotional significance for Vijay, whose father was himself a two-time National Award recipient. He says the recognition feels like the biggest validation of his work and reinforces his belief that sincerity never goes unnoticed. “This is a huge honour because it’s the National Award. It’s the biggest recognition any technician can ever dream of receiving. I’m just so happy that good work is being recognised without labels or biases. The fact that sincere work is being seen and appreciated means everything to me. I’m genuinely very excited.”
Dedicating the award to his parents, he recalls how a light-hearted promise made to his father years ago has now come true. “I would dedicate this award to my father and my mother. Ever since I was young, I would joke with my father that he had won two National Awards and one day I would get him the third one. It was always said in fun, but somehow it has happened. My mother has also been through a lot over the years, especially with illness and everything that came with it. So this award belongs to both of them.”
While celebrations have already begun at home, Ganguly says he is eager to return to India and celebrate the moment with his family. “My sister (Rupali Ganguly) and my mother are already celebrating. They’ve been sending me videos, and it’s been wonderful to see. I’m returning in a couple of days, and then we’ll all get together and have a proper family celebration. It will be a special reunion.”
Looking back at the making of Aaj Ki Raat, Vijay credits the song’s success to collaboration and a creative decision that completely changed its visual identity. He reveals that the choreography was originally designed with female background dancers before director Amar Kaushik pointed out that the film’s narrative demanded otherwise.
“This song was truly a team effort. When we first choreographed it, there was a lot of ada and nazakat in the movements, and the entire routine had female background dancers. But Amar Kaushik told me that, in the film’s situation, no other girls could be dancing because Tamannaah’s character is the only one dancing before Sarkata takes her away. We had already choreographed everything, and I kept wondering how boys would be able to pull off these graceful movements. We kept brainstorming and finally thought, ‘Why can’t boys do it?’ We brought in contemporary dancers from Delhi, Mumbai and different parts of the country who had that grace and elegance. It wasn’t planned that way initially, but what finally happened was so beautiful. Looking back now, I feel that’s what made the choreography so unique.”