Top 10 Bollywood Stars Who Refused Awards

By the time “Tanu Weds Manu” delivered its hit sequel, Kangana Ranaut had gone from a national treasure to an international icon. Australia’s prestigious Melbourne Film Festival named her Best Actress in 2015 for “Tanu Weds Manu Returns”. However, Ranaut declined the award on the grounds that she doesn’t even accept the Indian film industry’s accolades. She has been very outspoken about the emptiness of award shows, at one point reportedly being refused an award because traffic prevented her from making it to the ceremony. Ranaut still accepted her invitation to attend the Melbourne Film Festival, to show that there were no hard feelings.

Throughout the 1970s, Reena Roy was recognized as one of the finest talents in Bollywood. In “Apnapan”, her complex portrayal of an enchantress who must confront the child she abandoned really stole the show. Or rather, it led the show. When Roy received the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress, she turned it down, arguing that her role in the film was the female lead and not a supporting star. Ultimately, no one received the award. Roy’s stand for her status as a leading lady may seem a bit petty but it was, in fact, not the first of such an occurrence. More on that in a bit. Alas, this was the only award that Roy won throughout her movie career.

Vyjayanthimala’s renown as one of the great classic Bollywood actresses began with Bimal Roy’s adaptation of the timeless novel “Devdas”. Her depiction of the lovelorn courtesan Chandramukhi was considered an easy winner for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress. However, Vyjayanthimala felt that the role deserved consideration for a lead category. It’s hard to agree when the part of Chandramukhi would go on to earn several other great talents accolades in supporting categories. Nonetheless, Vyjayanthimala became the first person ever to decline a Filmfare award. She would of course not be the last. Luckily, there were a number of other awards for her to accept after her breakout in “Devdas”.

Said to be the Greta Garbo of India, Suchitra Sen led a monumental career in Bengali and Hindi cinema before retiring at the height of her fame. No one is entirely sure why she became so reclusive after 1978, but she was committed. Sen wouldn’t even make an appearance to receive the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the highest film prize in India. She might have considered accepting the award if it was bestowed in private, but the government wouldn't consider that. Sen had received more than enough prizes during her remarkable 27-year career. Her true lifetime achievement award came in 2012, when she received West Bengal’s highest civilian prize, no strings attached.

The patriotic anthem “Sandese Aate Hai” was as much of a hit as the war epic “Border”. It helped launch the stellar careers of playback singers Sonu Nigam and Roop Kumar Rathod. However, only Nigam received the Zee Award for Best Male Playback Singer. It is meant for one person after all. Still, Nigam was so disappointed about Rathod’s snub that he declined the award in solidarity. Twenty-five years and many accolades later, he less humbly declined the Padma Shri, claiming that he himself had been snubbed for too long. Nigram eventually accepted the award, though his initial resistance suggests that he’s grown a bit of an ego since his first Zee. At least he’s earned that, too.

“King of Melody” Kumar Sanu was one of the most popular and prolific playback singers of the 1990s. By ‘93, he was in the Guiness Book of World Records for his level of output. It’s no surprise that he also set the record for consecutive wins of the Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer. The real surprise was when he won the award for the fifth time for “1942: A Love Story,” only to reportedly turn it down. Sanu simply had enough awards, and wanted more recognition for other talents. Talk about the voice of a generation! Sanu has not won any Filmfare awards since, but he has plenty of them and other honors to his iconic name.

Despite being one of the biggest stars in the world, Akshay Kumar can be incredibly humble, as it turns out. In 2009, his fan-favorite performance in "Singh Is Kinng" won him the Popular Choice for Best Actor at the Star Screen Awards. However, Kumar was so insistent that Aamir Khan gave a better performance in "Ghajini" that he relinquished the award to his fellow nominee. Khan's notorious boycott of award shows naturally prompted him to graciously decline this kind gesture. It's just as well, since the award already had Kumar's name engraved on it. The Screen Awards practically forced him to accept it.

Lifelong Bollywood star Shashi Kapoor came out of his child acting career running. “Dharmputra” was praised for its raw depiction of religious conflict during Indian Partition, particularly through Kapoor’s portrayal of a Muslim-raised Hindu fundamentalist. For the actor, though, the hype was overblown. He claimed that he was considered for a national award, but declined on the grounds that his performance was “not competent enough.” “Dharmputra” was still named Best Hindi-Language Film at the National Film Awards, while Kapoor went on to win his share of honors as both an actor and a producer. Whether he really had many kinks to work out after his big break, it seems like the great artist was his own harshest critic.

It’s hard to sing enough praises for Lata Mangeshkar. Considered one of the greatest singers of her day, she had an immediate impact within and beyond Bollywood. She actually pushed for the creation of the Filmfare Award categories for Best Playback Singer. Unfortunately, Mangeshkar initially refused the inaugural trophy out of humility. And it wasn’t artistic humility. Mangeshkar was just that offended by Filmfare trophies’ depiction of an unclothed female figure. Thankfully, she humbly accepted her prize after it was wrapped in a cloth. While many may consider this incident silly, Mangeshkar was admired for sticking to her principles throughout her life. In 1970, she opted out of being considered for the Filmfare Awards, to create opportunities for newer performers.

Aamir Khan is famously committed to his acting craft and social activism. He deserves all of his honors, but doesn’t really count awards among them. He has avoided award ceremonies for years, despite winning dozens of times. Khan says that he personally finds the process hollow, and is more fulfilled by his fans’ praise. That’s easy for him to say when he’s one of the biggest box office draws in Bollywood history. However, it’s long been speculated that “Mr. Perfectionist” is so down on awards simply because Shah Rukh Khan beat him for the Best Actor Filmfare for “DDLJ”. Whether this letdown just put into perspective popular awards’ biases, Aamir Khan feels there are better things to do with his status than take home prizes.