Uri director Aditya Dhar on winning National Film Award: Dedicate it to every brave soldier

Aditya Dhar made his directorial debut with Uri: The Surgical Strike, which released in January this year and went on to become the first blockbuster of the year, also finding a place in the top-grossing films of 2019. Starring Vicky Kaushal, Mohit Raina, Yami Gautam, Paresh Rawal and Kirti Kulhari, the film revolves around the 2016 Uri attacks and had Kaushal’s Major Vihaan Singh Shergill leading a strike on militants to avenge the killing of Indian soldiers.

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Dhar further said, “Being conferred with the National Award has been a dream since the time I understood what films meant to me, and films truly mean the world to me.”

“Thank you India, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and all the Jury members of National Film Awards committee for considering me worthy enough for this prestigious award. This is an honour I am going to cherish for the rest of my life. Thanks to my family and friends for their unconditional support over the years. The way my parents and my brother stood by me through all the struggle is what helped me realise my dream so beautifully. Thank you Ronnie Screwvala and my entire team of URI for giving it all and making URI what it is. This film wouldn’t have been possible without the mad obsession of each one of you to create something extraordinary for our audience,” the director added.

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Aditya Dhar, who is reuniting with Vicky Kaushal in his next film based on Ashwatthama, dedicated his award to Indian soldiers. He said, “I am dedicating this award to each and every brave soldier of our country and their families. Thank you for all your sacrifices. You have selflessly dedicated your life to serve us and now it’s our time to dedicate everything we have to serve you.”