'Stanley...' star wins most prestigious child actor award

Mumbai, Oct 18 (IANS) Partho Gupte, who shot to fame with his stellar performance as the wise but deprived Stanley in his father Amole Gupte's film "Stanley Ka Dabba", has brought home the world's most prestigious award for a child actor.

At the Schlingel International Film Festival which concluded in Chemnitz in Germany Sunday, the 10-year-old won the best actor award from among 130 young actors competing in films from all across the world.

The Schlingel festival is the only film festival in the world devoted to films about and for children.

Euphoric after the triumph, the proud father and the film's director Amole Gupte said from Chemnitz: "It's a very evolved film festival and the quality of the films and principal performances are comparable with some of the most complex film for adult audiences."

"We were a little unsure. There were over 130 films in the competition. When Partho's name was announced as best actor Saturday night my wife Deepa and I were ecstatic and triumphant," he said.

"We never thought 'Stanley Ka Dabba' would have such a long shelf life. In fact the film is at four festivals, including (ongoing) MAMI (Mumbai Film Festival), which I obviously cannot attend, simultaneously," he added.

Partho, who is at the moment the toast of the little German town, giving interviews in English with a German translator at his constant beck and call, seemed nonchalant about the triumph.

"It's okay. I guess I am thrilled. But I've a long way to go. Just because I've performed well in one film doesn't mean I'm a good actor," he said.

"Right now I'm giving lots of interviews here. They want to know about everything related to my character, like why he eats with his fingers and why he sleeps on the floor, etc etc. I am enjoying it but I am getting impatient," he added.

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Stanley Ka Dabba