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Continued from page 1 Manoj Bajpayee has already walked away with two awards from the ceremony. He previously won the Best Actor of the Year award in 2018 for Gali Guleiyan. Suriya's Soorarai Pottru was also announced as the winner of the Best Feature award. Suriya was in attendance at the presentation, taking time out of his tight schedule to collect the awards on his and his film's behalf. Pankaj Tripathi has been bestowed the Diversity in Cinema Award. Tripathi was awarded a plaque honouring his accomplishments by Anurag Kashyap. Kashyap, the director of Gangs of Wasseypur, who was credited with introducing Tripathi to the industry. Among the presenters and jurors were Shoojit Sircar, Anurag Kashyap, Sriram Raghavan, and Guneet Mongra. The complete list of IFFM 2021 awardees is shown below. • Best Feature Film – Soorarai

Pottru • Best Performance Male (Feature) – Suriya Sivakumar (Soorarai

Pottru) • Best Performance Female (Feature) – Vidya Balan (Sherni) • Honourable mention to Nimisha

Sajayan (The Great Indian

Kitchen) • Best Director – Anurag Basu (Ludo) & Honorary Mention

Prithvi Konanur (Pinki Elli?) • Best Series – Mirzapur Season 2 • Best Actress in a Series – Samantha Akkineni (The Family

Man 2) • Best Actor in a Series – Manoj Bajpayee (The Family Man 2) • Equality in Cinema (Short Film) – Sheer Qorma • Equality in Cinema Award (Feature Film) – The Great

Indian Kitchen • Best Indie Film – Fire in the

Mountains • Diversity in Cinema Award –

Pankaj Tripathi • Disruptor Award – Sanal Kumar

Sasidharan • Best Documentary Film – Shut

Up Sona

MAWA hosts Onam festival in Perth

The Malayalee Association of Western Australia (MAWA) organised Onam in Perth on August 20. Ms Dantu Charandasi, the Indian Consul General, and MLA Dr Jags and Dr Tony Butt were distinguished visitors, and they turned the lights on to begin the festivities. Then the children presented the distinguished guests a garland, with the entire cast and the show’s presenters dressed in traditional attire. Onam is an annual harvest celebration observed in Kerala, India. Each year, Keralites celebrate this day as a significant yearly event. Onam is also held in remembrance of King Mahabali, who is seen as a cultural hero and a righteous ruler in popular culture. He even opted to resign from his kingdom and made the ultimate sacrifice to protect his people. Malayalee Association of Western Australia (MAWA) was formed to offer a platform for Malayalees residents in Western Australia to communicate, care for, and maintain the essence of their culture and customs. MAWA also aids and supports Malayali community members who are reconnecting and celebrating in a distant country. Onam, X’Mas, Mother’s Day, and other holidays allow families to reconnect while showcasing children’s and adults’ artistic abilities and talents, while also helping the Malayali community to maintain their ties to Kerala. MAWA also works on a larger scale to promote sports and games. Every Sunday, the Bluegum community centre is open for Shuttle Badminton and Volleyball practice sessions. MAWA also conducts competitions throughout the year for both junior and senior divisions in a variety of sports. The organisers recognise and reward the winners at the Onam festival.

Srinivasa Aaradhana held in Perth

The JET Australia Foundation Perth Chapter hosted Srinivasa Aradhana in Mandala Hall on August 21. Also, the Samuhika Sri Lakshmi Hayagriva Puja for children was held at Royal Park Hall, 180 Charles Street, in West Perth, WA. Lord Hayagriva and the knowledge-giver Jayanthi were also honoured. Children performed puja for Lord Hayagriva under the guidance of Acharya as part of the JET tradition, which dates back to the program's inception in 1997. As a continuation, Samuhika Sri MahaLakshmi Kumkuma Archana will be performed from 07:30 pm to 09:00 pm on 3 September, and Maha Prasadam will be served at the Royal Park Hall, 180 Charles Street, West Perth. Please visit https://www.jaf.com.au/ events/lp.html for more information and to register.