B R Chopra bags Pearl Legend award

B R Chopra has bagged the Pearl Legend award while the Iranian film Pedar swept top honours at the first East Asia Film and Television Festival in Penang, Malaysia.

The Iranian film Pedar, directed by Majid, won the awards for best actor for Mohammed Kasebi, best supporting actor for Hassan Sadeghi, and best screenplay for Majid himself. It also bagged the best film award.

While India's Sugandha (real name Shashi Baba Gupta) was one of the three nominees for the best actress award for her role inKokh, the award went to Nora Annor for her role in the Phillipines film Bakit May Kahapon Pa?

The award for best direction also went to an Iranian director, Idumars Pourahmed, for the film Strange Sisters, which also bagged the awards for best music score and special jury award for the child actor in the film.

The Pearl Legend award was presented by Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Anwar Ibrahim. Chopra could not be present because he was ill. The award was received on his behalf by Indian Motion Pictures Producers Association president Sultan Ahmed and film critic Devendra Kumar. Actor-film-maker Sunil Dutt and actress M Radhika presented the best actor award.

UNI

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