ACTAs aim to ‘dissolve cultural barriers’

GEORGE ALAGIAH RECEIVES TOP AWARD AT CEREMONY HONOURING ASIAN CONTRIBUTION TO THE ARTS

BBC BROADCASTER George Alagiah was the top winner at the Eastern Eye Arts, Culture and Theatre Awards (ACTAs) last Friday (22), where he received the prize for Outstanding Contribution to the Arts.

Meera Syal, Anoushka Shankar, Naughty Boy, Anita Rani and Sacha Dhawan were among the other winners at the third annual ACTAs cere­mony, hosted by Eastern Eye’s publisher, the Asian Media Group.

A total of 17 awards were presented in recog­nition of Asian contribution to the arts, at the event in central London’s May Fair Hotel.

Alagiah, a familiar face on the BBC, was hon­oured for his achievements in the broadcast in­dustry. In a career spanning more than three decades, he covered the apartheid in south Af­rica, the genocide in Rwanda and also reported on the civil unrest in Afghanistan, Liberia, Sier­ra Leone and Somalia. In addition, he presents the News at 10 and Six o’clock news on the BBC.

Invoking a quote from the late Nelson Man­dela, whom Alagiah interviewed several times, the broadcaster said: “Think with your brain, not your blood.” The iconic leaders could not be more prescient today, Alagiah said in his ac­ceptance speech.

Eastern Eye columnist and chair of the ACTA judging panel, Amit Roy, said the awards were a way of “trying to dissolve cultural barriers” be­tween Asians and white Britons.

“We are very lucky to live in such a lovely country which is so rich in the arts. That tells you something about its people,” Roy said.

Syal won the Best Actress award (Theatre) for her performance in Annie at the West End, while Raj Ghatak was judged the Best Actor for The Kite Runner.

Music producer Naughty Boy scooped the People’s Choice Award.

Anita Rani was the recipient of the Editor’s Special Award for presenting the BBC show My Family, Partition and Me: India 1947. It saw Rani visit her parents’ homeland in north India on the 70th anniversary of partition.

Sacha Dhawan’s lead role in the BBC drama The Boy with the Topknot – a real-life story of a British Asian Sikh boy growing up in Wolver­hampton with a father who suffered from men­tal health issues – won him the Best Actor prize in the Film, TV and Drama category.

Indira Varma received the Best Actress award in the same category for her role in the global hit Game of Thrones.

There were prizes for the Science Museum whose Illuminating India exhibition won it the Community Engagement award. Among its fi­nal visitors in April were India’s prime minister Narendra Modi and Prince Charles, during the former’s visit to London for the Commonwealth heads of government summit.

Acclaimed Indian classical musician Anoushka Shankar, who plays the sitar, won the music award for her score for Shiraz, a black and white film restored by the BFI to mark the 70th anniversary of Indian independence.

DJ Nihal was the compere at the event and guests were entertained by Ayesha Hazarika and Reece Bahia, who performed She’s Outta My Life from Thriller Live, his West End tribute show to Michael Jackson.

Other ACTA recipients included Arts winner Waqas Khan for his exhibition at the Manchester Art Gallery; Aakash Odedra for #JeSuis (Dance); Vaseem Khan for The Strange Disappearance of a Bollywood Star (Literature); Ayesha Hazarika for the State of the Nation show (Comedy); Dr Ranj Singh for Get Well Soon and Get Well Soon Hospital (Best Presenter); (Best Production) Combustion by Asif Khan (AIK Productions in association with Tara Arts); Pooja Ghai for Lions and Tigers (Best Director); and Reece Bahia for Thriller Live (Emerging Artist)