Kriti Sanon and Alia Bhatt bagged the National Award for Best Actress for Mimi (2021) and Gangubai Kathiawadi (2022), respectively. On social media, the two exchanged a note of appreciation.

But now, in an interview with News18, Kriti revealed that she also called up Alia after the award was announced and had a hearty chat. Kriti said, “I’ve always admired Alia as an actor and she was phenomenal in Gangubai Kathiawadi. We’ve both played the title role in our respective films and it’s a proud moment to be sharing this prestigious award with her! I called her up and both of us were just too excited.”

Pankaj Tripathi, who was also part of Mimi, also was honoured with the National Award in the Best Supporting Actor category for his act. Talking about him, Kriti said,?“My excitement was doubled when I saw Pankaj ji had won for Mimi too. I called him up and we spoke. He’s visiting his hometown right now. I’ve great regard for him. He’s one of my most favourite co-stars and I truly always wish and pray for the best for him. I’m so happy that he’s getting all the love and validation he truly deserves.”

Revealing how she was in a meeting when she got the news of her win, Kriti mentioned that she realised it when her phone started buzzing, and she had to excuse herself from the meeting.?

Adding how she was overwhelmed when she got the news and ran down to hug her? parents, Kriti said, “Everyone got emotional. It is a huge deal. This will always be an extremely special moment in my life. I was just at home with my family and some close friends. We ordered pizzas. The plan was to just take in the moment properly with the biggest of my support systems around me.”

Kriti further reiterated that winning the National Award hasn’t really sunk in yet, and it feels surreal. The 33-year-old said, “I’m just processing the win still. I just cannot express the feeling even now. It’s definitely an achievement that one can only dream of. When you’re on the set, you only think about giving your best, for every film, for every character. I’ve a diary where I write my dreams and goals and yes this was definitely in there.”

Kriti will next be seen in ‘Ganapath: Part One’, ‘Do Patti’ and ‘The Crew’.