Vijay Ganguly wins Best Choreography National Award for 'Aaj Ki Raat'

Choreographer Vijay Ganguly was honoured with the Best Choreography award at the 72nd National Film Awards for the song "Aaj Ki Raat" from the film Stree 2. President Droupadi Murmu presented him the award at the ceremony held in Ekta Nagar, Gujarat, on Tuesday.

Ganguly, who had his family by his side at the event, described the recognition as an "amazing feeling." Speaking to the media afterwards, he called the moment "fantastic" and credited the many people who contributed to the song's success. He named director Amar Kaushik, Dinesh Vijayan, the dancers who performed in the number, Tamannaah, and the costume designer among those who came together to make it work.

The evening was equally significant for his sister, actor Rupali Ganguly, who was present at the ceremony and cheered for him as he collected the award. She said attending the National Awards had been a dream for the family since their childhood, and that the dream had come true because of her brother.

Rupali noted that the family had grown up watching the National Awards and had always felt that Vijay would one day receive one. She described "Aaj Ki Raat" as path-breaking and said the jury had recognised the beautiful art form of the song, adding that her brother had worked very hard on it. Recalling her own enthusiasm at the ceremony, she said she believed she was cheering the loudest.

Ganguly's body of work includes choreography for songs in films such as Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, Bhediya, JugJugg Jeeyo and Govinda Naam Mera. He was more recently in the news for choreographing "Shararat" from Dhurandhar, a track that became popular.

The ceremony also recognised several other winners. Yami Gautam took the Best Actress in a Leading Role award for Article 370, while Kartik Aaryan and Mammootty shared the Best Actor in a Leading Role honour for Chandu Champion and Bramayugam respectively. Srikanth was named Best Hindi Film.