March 22, 1999

By Dilip Bobb

It's that time of the year again when the best performances of the year are given due credit in the form of the Oscars and Fernandes. This year, there have been some outstanding roles and role reversals prompting the organisers to introduce a new, roll-back trophy. But, as always, the stars of the show were the same old veterans, most having already qualified for a lifetime award, or three. Here's a sneak preview of this year's winners.

Best Actor Award: Strangely enough, this year it actually goes to an actor: Dev Anand. The man who claims to have single-handedly given Indo-Pakistan relations a thousand facelifts stole the show at Lahore and has been milking his non-paying passenger role for all it is worth ever since. Scarcely a day passes when he doesn't appear on TV or in the newspapers talking about the chemistry between him and his co-star Nawaz Sharif. The Indian prime minister may have easily been an extra, to hear Dev Anand's version of Border. All that the rest of us can say, is Bus.

Best Supporting Actress: Rabri Devi, a throwback to the era of silent films, for her supporting role in the thriller, Laloo's Revenge. It was a close contest between her and Sonia Gandhi, but Rabri won out for her portrayal of a typical Indian woman standing up for her man. Actually, in her case, she was sitting. Always is. She just loves that chair.

Best Comedian: Lal Krishna Advani for his multiple role as the bumbling, misguided policeman in Inspector Clueless. His attempts to embarrass the prime minister, his party and the government have actually succeeded in proving that as an actor there is a method in the madness.

Best Screenplay: Yashwant Sinha, whose big-budget effort was widely predicted to be the year's biggest flop but then confounded its critics by its box-office success in the key territory of Dalal Street. However, initial returns are no indication of how well it will do in the long run and there is some industry speculation that it could be all bull.

Best Actress: Sonia Gandhi for her double role as the Sphinx and Queen Neverknow, the first time such a portrayal has been attempted. Though her role hardly requires her to speak, she has mastered the art of reading from a script. Written in Roman, of course. Despite that handicap, there's no question of her status as leading lady as she showed when she led the government by the nose over the Bihar issue.

Best Supporting Actor: Mulayam Singh Yadav, for his imitation of Winston Churchill -- he flashes a victory sign whenever the cameras are trained on him, even though he has little to do with the victory. However, his performance in parliament with Laloo Yadav brings back memories of the serial Tu Tu Main Main.

Lifetime Achievement Award: To Jyoti Basu, who, despite suggestions that his stature is shrinking (for which he needs to see a shrink), continues to believe that ignorance is bliss.

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