'Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota' wins top award at TIFF

Director Vasan Bala’s action-comedy “Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota” created a major moment for Indian cinema at the 43rd Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), winning the People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award at the festival’s closing ceremony on Sunday.

The film became the first Indian production to be selected for TIFF’s popular Midnight Madness section, which is known for showcasing bold, unconventional and genre-driven films. It beat “Assassination Nation” and “Halloween” to claim the audience award.

A huge cheer erupted at the venue when TIFF co-director Cameron Bailey announced the Indian film as the winner.

Bala accepted the award alongside actors Radhika Madan and Ankur Nayyar. Reflecting on the unexpected recognition, the Mumbai-based filmmaker compared the moment to his childhood experiences.

“The last time I was called on the stage was when I was in fourth grade and it was arts and craft... I cut cardboard and glued them together,” Bala said, drawing a humorous parallel with his filmmaking journey.

He described the long and uncertain process of bringing the film to the screen, saying that at every stage he felt the project was unlikely to reach the next milestone — from getting the script made to getting the finished film into a festival and completing it in time for its screening.

“Thanks TIFF for changing it,” Bala said, expressing his gratitude to the festival for giving the film an international platform.

The filmmaker also shared a personal story behind the movie, revealing that his wife edited the film while taking care of their daughter, Saiba.

“This morning I was chatting with her and my daughter was blowing kisses at me. She is waiting for me to come back,” he said.

Bala also remembered his grandfather, whom he credited with encouraging his love for cinema and inspiring him to write the script.

“It feels like a unicorn,” the director said, describing the award and the film’s journey.

While “Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota” won the Midnight Madness honour, the festival’s overall People’s Choice Award went to Peter Farrelly’s “Green Book”, a film dealing with racial segregation in the United States during the 1960s.

“Green Book” emerged ahead of Barry Jenkins’ “If Beale Street Could Talk” and Alfonso Cuarón’s “Roma”. Other major contenders included “A Star Is Born”, starring Lady Gaga, and “First Man”, starring Ryan Gosling and based on Neil Armstrong’s historic moon landing.

The TIFF People’s Choice Award has historically attracted attention as an early indicator of films that could perform strongly during the awards season.

“Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota” marks the acting debut of Abhimanyu Dassani and combines action, comedy and an unconventional central character, giving the film a distinctive place in contemporary Indian cinema.

The TIFF recognition is expected to bring further international attention to Bala’s film and its young cast.