MUMBAI: Two films produced by Sahara One Motion Pictures -- Page 3 and Bose - The Forgotten Hero -- have bagged National Awards.

At this year's annual celebration of the best that Indian cinema has to offer, it was Madhur Bhandarkar's critically acclaimed box office hit Page 3 that took home the most prestigious trophy of them all, the National Award for Best Film. As for Shyam Benegal's tribute to Netaji, Bose - The Forgotten Hero, it won the National Award for Best Film on National Integration.

Sahara India Entertainment Management Company Limited (SIEMCL) MD Shailendra Singh said, "It is a matter of pride that two of our films have won Best Film awards. This is testimony to Sahara One Motion Pictures' commitment to delighting audiences with quality content. We are here to stay as one of the biggest players in the motion pictures business. Movie-lovers can look forward to many more such excellent films from us. My hearty congratulations to Mr Benegal and Madhur for their brilliant work."

Benegal, on the other hand said, "I am delighted that Bose… has won the National Award for Best Film on National Integration, because of two reasons. First -- it's a film about a great nationalist and patriot. Secondly, these are the core values that are so much part of the values of Sahara India."

SIEMCL chief executive officer Shantonu Aditya said, "It is particularly heartening that meaningful and popular films like Page 3 and Bose… have won such prestigious awards. As India's largest studio producing and acquiring quality movies and undertaking distribution and marketing, Sahara One Motion Pictures will continue to produce movies that we believe the masses will love."

Sahara One Motion Pictures COO Sandeep Bhargava said, "Congratulations to Mr Benegal, Mr Bobby Pushkarna (producer of Page 3) and Madhur. Both, the movies have won popular and critical acclaim with great content and production values. I am glad that the professional setup of Sahara One Motion Pictures provided the directors a completely hassle-free environment to concentrate on their creative work without having to worry about any production, marketing or distribution issues."

Benegal concurs, "Working with Sahara One Motion Pictures while making the film was like an ideal partnership between producer and director. They gave me all the resources that were needed to make the film, along with complete creative freedom."

Bhandarkar said, "I am glad that my effort with Page 3 has received such high recognition, for which I would like to thank the public and the jury of the National Awards. I am also grateful to Sahara One Motion Pictures and producer Bobby Pushkarna for the extremely professional production, marketing and distribution support, which, along with the content of the film, helped Page 3 become a hit. I look forward to working on more excellent projects with Sahara One Motion Pictures."