Usha Uthup, Prosenjit join hands to honour technicians

"We need to appreciate the work of the technicians who make a scene look so real in a film or serial. They are the real heroes behind any stage show.

"While those facing the audience get noticed and receive the laurels, those who work for hours to set up the props are not recognised. Hence we felt the need to institute award function for these people in 2014, " Uthup said. Uthup is the founder trustee of StageCraft Foundation, while Chatterjee is the face of StageCraft.

Chatterjee said: "I have always enjoyed excellent rapport with the technicians who work for hours to perfect our looks, make the scenes believable or a stage show presentable. So when Ushadi broached the issue of honouring the technicians I immediately agreed to be part of the initiative." He also paid tribute to stuntmen and

fight masters of the film industry describing them as "an intrinsic part of Bengali mainstream films of the '70s and '80s who made action scenes look so real."

A special StageCraft award named after late fightmaster of Bengali cinema Santanu Paul will be instituted from this year besides the other nomination categories, he said.