Overlay: Acting awards and nominations for the film Aparajito (1956)

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Errors	Missing	Unverified	Supported
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Counts based on original analysis categories (not yet classified).

Errors = Critical Errors + Imprecisions

Missing = Critical Omissions + Notable Gaps

#Q ORIGINAL QUESTION

Regarding the film Aparajito (1956), did any actors win any awards for their roles or get nominated, and who were they up against?

#M ANNOTATED LLM RESPONSE

For the 1956 film Aparajito, directed by Satyajit Ray, the primary recognition for acting was received by Karuna Banerjee, who played the role of Sarbajaya (Apu’s mother).

While the film itself won major international prizes—most notably the Golden Lion at the 1957 Venice Film Festival—individual acting awards were rare for Indian cinema on the global stage at that time. However, Karuna Banerjee’s performance earned a historic nomination.

Karuna Banerjee: BAFTA Nomination

Karuna Banerjee was nominated for Best Foreign Actress at the 12th British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) in 1959. This was a significant milestone, as she was the first Indian actress to be nominated for a BAFTA.

Who she was up against:
Banerjee competed in a prestigious field of international cinema icons. The nominees for Best Foreign Actress that year were:

Simone Signoret (Winner): For Room at the Top. (Signoret, a French actress, won for her role in this British production).
Elizabeth Taylor: For Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
Ingrid Bergman: For The Inn of the Sixth Happiness.
Anna Magnani: For Wild Is the Wind.
Giulietta Masina: For Nights of Cabiria (Le Notti di Cabiria).
Tatyana Samojlova: For The Cranes Are Flying.
Joanne Woodward: For No Down Payment.

Additional Cast and Awards

Other Actors: While the performances of Pinaki Sengupta (Young Apu) and Smaran Ghosal (Adolescent Apu) were critically acclaimed for their naturalism, they did not receive individual acting nominations at the major international festivals (BAFTA, Venice, or Berlin).
National Film Awards (India): At the 5th National Film Awards in 1958, Aparajito won the All India Certificate of Merit for Best Feature Film. However, individual acting awards (such as Best Actor or Best Actress) were not introduced at the National Film Awards until 1967, so none of the actors could have been nominated or won in those categories at the time.
The Film's Global Wins: Though not acting-specific, the cast shared in the film's collective success, which included:
- Golden Lion (Grand Prix) at the Venice Film Festival (1957).
- Golden Gate Awards for Best Picture and Best Director at the San Francisco International Film Festival (1958).
- Selznick Golden Laurel for Best Film at the Berlin International Film Festival (1960).

Note on modern confusion: You may find references to a film titled Aparajito winning acting awards in 2022 or 2023. This is a different film—a biographical tribute directed by Anik Dutta about the making of Ray's Pather Panchali—where actor Jeetu Kamal won several "Best Actor" awards for his portrayal of the director.

#F CORRECTION FEED (CLICK TO SEARCH)

[1] Karuna Banerjee's performance as Sarbajaya is widely cited as the primary acting highlight of the film and the only one to receive major international recognition.

[2] Aparajito won the Golden Lion at the 1957 Venice Film Festival.

[3] Karuna Banerjee was nominated for Best Foreign Actress at the 1959 BAFTA Awards (honoring films from 1958/1957).

[4] Simone Signoret won the 1959 BAFTA for Best Foreign Actress for her role in 'Room at the Top'. Although the film was British, Signoret was eligible for the Foreign category due to her nationality.

[5] The list of nominees (Taylor, Bergman, Magnani, Masina, Samojlova, Woodward) matches the official BAFTA records for the 1959 Best Foreign Actress category.

[6] At the 5th National Film Awards (1958), Aparajito received the All India Certificate of Merit for Best Feature Film. The President's Gold Medal went to 'Do Aankhen Barah Haath'.

[7] The National Film Awards in India did not introduce Best Actor/Actress categories until 1967 (for films of 1966).

[8] Jeetu Kamal won the Best Actor award at the Diorama International Film Festival and the WBFJA Award for Most Promising Actor for the 2022 film 'Aparajito'.

#O MISSED POINTS & OVERSIGHTS

No oversights detected.

#C RELATED QUERIES

#01 Did Satyajit Ray win any personal awards for Aparajito?

#02 What is the plot difference between the 1956 Aparajito and the 2022 Aparajito?

#03 Who won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in 1958?

#S SOURCES

wikipedia.org goldenglobes.com millenniumpost.in

#R ORIGINAL AI RESPONSE

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For the 1956 film *Aparajito*, directed by Satyajit Ray, the primary recognition for acting was received by **Karuna Banerjee**, who played the role of **Sarbajaya** (Apu’s mother). While the film itself won major international prizes—most notably the **Golden Lion** at the 1957 Venice Film Festival—individual acting awards were rare for Indian cinema on the global stage at that time. However, Karuna Banerjee’s performance earned a historic nomination. ### Karuna Banerjee: BAFTA Nomination Karuna Banerjee was nominated for **Best Foreign Actress** at the **12th British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA)** in **1959**. This was a significant milestone, as she was the first Indian actress to be nominated for a BAFTA. **Who she was up against:** Banerjee competed in a prestigious field of international cinema icons. The nominees for Best Foreign Actress that year were: * **Simone Signoret (Winner):** For *Room at the Top*. (Signoret, a French actress, won for her role in this British production). * **Elizabeth Taylor:** For *Cat on a Hot Tin Roof*. * **Ingrid Bergman:** For *The Inn of the Sixth Happiness*. * **Anna Magnani:** For *Wild Is the Wind*. * **Giulietta Masina:** For *Nights of Cabiria* (*Le Notti di Cabiria*). * **Tatyana Samojlova:** For *The Cranes Are Flying*. * **Joanne Woodward:** For *No Down Payment*. ### Additional Cast and Awards * **Other Actors:** While the performances of **Pinaki Sengupta** (Young Apu) and **Smaran Ghosal** (Adolescent Apu) were critically acclaimed for their naturalism, they did not receive individual acting nominations at the major international festivals (BAFTA, Venice, or Berlin). * **National Film Awards (India):** At the **5th National Film Awards** in 1958, *Aparajito* won the **All India Certificate of Merit for Best Feature Film**. However, individual acting awards (such as Best Actor or Best Actress) were not introduced at the National Film Awards until 1967, so none of the actors could have been nominated or won in those categories at the time. * **The Film's Global Wins:** Though not acting-specific, the cast shared in the film's collective success, which included: * **Golden Lion** (Grand Prix) at the Venice Film Festival (1957). * **Golden Gate Awards** for Best Picture and Best Director at the San Francisco International Film Festival (1958). * **Selznick Golden Laurel** for Best Film at the Berlin International Film Festival (1960). **Note on modern confusion:** You may find references to a film titled *Aparajito* winning acting awards in 2022 or 2023. This is a different film—a biographical tribute directed by Anik Dutta about the making of Ray's *Pather Panchali*—where actor **Jeetu Kamal** won several "Best Actor" awards for his portrayal of the director.

#A DIRECT ANSWER (VERIFIED ANALYSIS)

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For the 1956 film Aparajito, the only actor to receive a major international nomination was Karuna Banerjee (who played the mother, Sarbajaya). She was nominated for Best Foreign Actress at the 1959 BAFTA Awards. She did not win; the award went to Simone Signoret for Room at the Top. Her fellow nominees included Elizabeth Taylor, Ingrid Bergman, Anna Magnani, Giulietta Masina, Tatyana Samojlova, and Joanne Woodward. No other actors in the film received individual awards, partly because India's National Film Awards did not introduce acting categories until 1967. The film itself won the Golden Lion at Venice (1957) and an All India Certificate of Merit at the National Film Awards (1958). (Note: A 2022 Bengali film also titled Aparajito features actor Jeetu Kamal, who won awards for playing a character based on Satyajit Ray; this is a separate biographical film.)

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