Parikh Worldwide Media Correspondent wins National Award for Best Book on Cinema

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Parikh Worldwide Media’s Entertainment Reporter, Rajiv Vijayakar, a veteran journalist specializing in writing about Hindi cinema, has won the 69^th National Award for 2021 for “Best Book on Cinema” for his fourth book, Music by Laxmikant Pyarelal, published by Rupa Publications.

Vijayakar has written three other books, The History of Indian Film Music (on Times Group Books) in 2010, Dharmendra: Not Just A He-Man on Rupa again in 2018 and Main Shayar Toh Nahin (on Harper Collins) in 2019.

A graduate in dental science, Vijayakar began to write on cinema almost simultaneously when he began practice. Ever a film addict from childhood, he wrote his first article for Filmfare, mailing it to the editor without knowing anyone in that office. He quit his practice in 2004.

He currently also freelances for Deccan Herald, Bangalore’s most respected English newspaper, and for Bollywoodhungama.com, a leading film portal, besides doing video interviews for TataSky.

Vijayakar has also written for Screen, Stardust, Worldspace Radio and many other leading publications and portals and for India-West in California for over two decades. He has also featured as anchor and given bytes for shows on major channels like Times FM, NDTV, Epic Channel and others.

“This is a great honor,” said Vijayakar. “I was watching a web series that had to be reviewed when five congratulatory messages, including one from M.M. Keeravani, Oscar winner for RRR, and also winner here for Best Background Music, suddenly began popping up on my phone. I have been on the Jury myself for the 62^nd and 58^th National Film Awards and I am overwhelmed that I will now be a part of the winners and, so to speak, at the receiving end!”

He added, “I am grateful to Rupa Publications from their MD to my commissioning editor, Rudra Sharma, and the entire team for their relentless encouragement, endorsement and enhancement of my book’s format and content, as I had visualized it, and I am still in a dream.”

Vijayakar has also won the Hindi Sewa Sammaan in 2013 for his service to Hindi cinema and music. This was presented to him by well-known writer Kamlesh Pandey (Karamchand, Tezaab, Khal-Nayak) on behalf of the Vishwa Hindi Academy, Mumbai.