Bollywood Trade News Network

Honorable President of India, Smt. Pratibha Patil recently conferred realistic film director, Madhur Bhandarkar with National Award for The Best Film Director of the year 2007, for his film TRAFFIC SIGNAL. The prize money consisting of Rs.2.5 Lakh which Madhur won announced to donate it all to the families to three farmers from Vidharbha who had committed suicide in the face of extreme financial hardship.

"I never gave much through to donating any prize money to a social cause. This year, I came across many stories of farmers who had ended their lives to evade the debt trap they were in. It was extremely moving for me and hence I decided to donate the prize money. I always wanted to help underprivileged and this is an honor to serve the society," he quips.

The three farmers whose families have been chosen by Bhandarkar for the charity are Kashinath Dagdu, Prakash Darne and Shamrao Kannake. When asked how he selected these three families, he said, "After thorough research, I short listed them."

The 3 time National award winner Madhur recalls these as one of the greatest moments of his life. "I thank my audience, my fans and all those people who saw the movie. It is this love and affection of the audience, that gives me the immense freedom of creativity and deliver something very new and out of league. As my movies always portray a real face of the society every time, I really want to help people by any means", he quips.

The director, who is known for making films on social issues, is taking his first major leap toward a real cause.

With Hat-trick of National awards already under his belt, Madhur's FASHION, which is making quiet a buzz and awaited to unfold many surprises, will now be reviewed with much more anticipation and expectations.