Marathi cinema achieved a new milestone as four-year-old Treesha Vivek Thosar was conferred the prestigious National Film Award for Best Child Artist at the 71st National Film Awards ceremony in New Delhi.
Treesha won the coveted Swarna Kamal (Golden Lotus Award) for her captivating and heartfelt performance as Chimi (Revati) in the Marathi film Naal 2. Her win has been hailed as historic, with reports confirming that she is the youngest recipient of the Best Child Artist award in the 71-year history of the National Film Awards.
The young actor shared the honour for Naal 2 with her co-stars Shrinivas Pokale and Bhargav Jagtap.
The moment the little star walked onto the stage at Vigyan Bhawan to receive the award from President Droupadi Murmu became the viral highlight of the ceremony. Dressed in a traditional saree, Treesha’s innocence, reverence, and beaming smile drew thunderous applause and a standing ovation from the star-studded audience, which included Bollywood figures like Shah Rukh Khan and Rani Mukerji.
The presenter praised her by saying, “A four-year-old whose spontaneity and innocence and expressive presence elevate the story.”
Naal 2, a sequel to the critically acclaimed 2018 film Naal, explores the emotional nuances of childhood and sibling bonds in a rural setting. Directed by Sudhakar Reddy Yakkanti and produced by Nagraj Manjule, the film also won the National Award for Best Children’s Film.
Following the win, a post on Treesha’s official social media account, managed by her mother, expressed immense pride. It read, in part: “At the tender age of just four, when I went on stage to accept such a great honour, the entire auditorium stood up and applauded with thunderous claps… I still don’t fully understand what I have achieved, but I do know this much—that through this award, the name of my Maharashtra state and my entire family has been elevated.”
Treesha’s remarkable achievement not only places Marathi cinema firmly in the national spotlight but also signals the immense talent burgeoning in regional cinema.
