How was chief guest Waheeda Rehman made to feel uncomfortable at the prestigious 69th National Awards ceremony?

Recently, the most prestigious film award ceremony of the Government of India was organized at Vigyan Bhawan, Delhi. From the outside everything looked like an organized awards show. But, I wish it had been equally organized from the inside also! Which was not. Had the organizers been able to maintain the grandeur of the show as well as their personnel, then perhaps the elderly guest, India's famous silver screen artist Waheeda Rehman would not have felt suffocated and distressed from within. But this happened. Neither anyone in the auditorium could understand nor did the calm and serious actress give any comment regarding her problem.

Waheeda Rehman reached the venue with her son Sohail Rekhi. Waheeda ji had to stop at the gate leading to the inner hall from the gate designated for guests at Vigyan Bhawan. Due to this, his son Sohail, who came with her, was stopped from going inside with her, while Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor, who went ahead of her, were allowed to go together. Only Alia was getting the award, Ranbir Kapoor was there only as an escort. Waheeda Rahman’s son Sohail was asked to go through another public door and he had to leave, leaving his mother alone there. Waheeda ji had to go to the inside of the venue alone. No protocol officer was even appointed to accompany her. Even her son was not allowed to go with her. ...Waheeda ji was not an ordinary artist. She has been one of the best actresses on the cinema screen for four decades and this year she was the main awardee of the 2023 event where she was to be honored with cinema's most prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award. There was no escort to accompany Waheeda ji from the guest gate. The son was not allowed to go with her and there was no one to take her inside to take care of her. Waheeda ji was having difficulty in walking, yet she covered such a long distance with her slow steps. The tiredness on her face and labored breathing could be seen in the hall. Couldn't some escorts have been kept in the event organized with such huge fanfare and expense worth lakhs? And if they were kept, where were they at that moment?

Now let's get the news of the show ending also. It was the last honor of the day to be given to Waheeda Rehman. The hour-long meeting and honoring more than 400 film invitees was no mean task. Wahid ji remained sitting patiently. When the program ended, the message 'Ready to Live' was sent. This means the special guest has to vacate the hall within 5 minutes. Till then the traffic outside is kept stopped. President Draupadi Murmu had come to this program with her daughter. Her Excellency spent 45 minutes chatting and mingling with the film crew along with her daughter. Due to this, traffic outside was stopped for about 45 minutes.

In fact, all the guests who had come to be felicitated, how can we even talk about administrative chaos? If the impracticality of inter-personnel and incomplete protocols can be transformed into practical form, there is no greater honor for India than this where hundreds of celebrities come together full of enthusiasm on one stage. Especially the team led by the current Information and Broadcasting Minister Shri Anurag Singh Thakur. It should not happen that a senior actress like Waheeda Rehman feels uncomfortable.

-Sharad Rai