Director Zoya Akhtar and actress Janhvi Kapoor were also honored at the WIFT India Award Night.
BETHESDA, MD: Bollywood super star Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, director Zoya Akhtar and upcoming actress Janhvi Kapoor were honored at the Women In Film & Television India Awards Gala here on Saturday.
Bachchan, the 1994 Miss World, received the inaugural “Meryl Streep Award of Excellence,” named after Hollywood legend Meryl Streep.
“This is surreal and I am truly, truly overwhelmed,” said Bachchan, receiving the honor. “this is a dream come true to receive an award in the name of the very iconic Meryl Streep.”
READ: 7th DC South Asian Film Festival showcasing independent cinema opens (September 8, 2018)
Kapoor, daughter of the late Bollywood legend Sridevi and producer Boney Kapoor, received the “Face of the Future” award.
“I’m so humbled to get this award,” said the actress, whose debut film Dhadak was released recently. “It’s so encouraging and I promise to keep working hard.”
Akhtar, who received “Wyler Award of Excellence,” spoke about the need for having more women in the film industry. “If there is any time we need female voices it is now and they are emerging and they are not going to be stopped,” she said.
Besides the three Bollywood ladies, prominent American producer Catherine Hand was also honored. She received the “Producer of the Year” award.
The event, hosted by the Washington, DC, South Asian Film Festival, was held at the Hyatt Regency in Bethesda, MD, just outside of Washington, DC.
WIFT India is part of WIFT International, a network founded more than 20 years ago to promote professional development and achievement for women in the film industry, video, and other screen-based media. In the United States, it has nearly two-dozen chapters.
The WIFT award night was hosted by the DCSAFF, which began on September 7 at Montgomery College in Rockville.
Nearly three-dozen independent feature, short and documentary films are being screened at the three-day festival.