Choreographer Vijay Ganguly says National Award for Aaj Ki Raat is family milestone

Choreographer Vijay Ganguly is still processing his National Award win for Best Choreography for Aaj Ki Raat from Stree 2. In an exclusive conversation with India Today, Ganguly recalled the moment he learnt about the honour, credited the team behind the hit song, and spoke about carrying forward his family's National Award legacy.

"I am still processing it. I just spoke to my mom, my sister Rupali, and Nandini, my partner. I'm just trying to process the fact that there's another National Award coming into our house. It's an amazing feeling," Ganguly said.

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The choreographer admitted the recognition came as a complete surprise, especially after Aaj Ki Raat missed out on major awards last year.

"Actually, not at all. Last year when Aaj Ki Raat came out, I felt we had done a good job. We all felt good about the song. But that year, it didn't win any awards. I was a little dejected, but I told myself it's okay. It's part and parcel of this profession. We'll work harder and create more work. Then Dhurandar came, Shararat happened, and life moved on," he recalled.

Recalling how he found out about the win, Ganguly said he was initially puzzled by the flood of congratulatory messages.

"I was out of network coverage. The moment I got back into range, my phone was flooded with congratulatory messages. Someone congratulated me for Aaj Ki Raat, and I thought it was an old message. I was wondering why people were suddenly congratulating me for that song. Then my sister called and sent me the video of the announcement. I was speechless for five minutes," he said.

Soon after, Ganguly spoke to filmmaker Amar Kaushik and producer Dinesh Vijan to celebrate the achievement.

"I spoke to Amar Kaushik first. He was watching a movie, so he stepped out and called me back. We are all very excited. I also spoke to Dinesh Vijan sir. It's a Maddock Films victory as well. I messaged Tamannaah, and she was also very ecstatic," said the choreographer.

Ganguly was quick to credit Tamannaah Bhatia and the entire team for the song's success.

"The credit also goes to Tamannaah. If she hadn't performed so brilliantly, if she hadn't been on screen doing what she did, the choreography wouldn't have looked the way it did. Choreography is only as good as the performer. She did a fantastic job. Everything just fell into place. The boys dancing in the background worked so hard, even in five-degree temperatures without T-shirts. Everyone contributed; the DOP, everyone contributed to make this happen. It was truly a team effort," he added.

The award carries added significance for Ganguly as it continues a family legacy.

"First, I just want to process it. Once that sinks in, we'll have a big family get-together to celebrate. This is the third National Award coming into our house. My father won two National Awards in 1974 and 1975 for Kora Kagaz and Tapasya. This is the third one, so the whole family will celebrate together," he said.

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Asked whether the honour brings added pressure, Ganguly said he sees it as motivation to push himself further.

"There are two ways of looking at it. Pressure will always be there. It depends on how much pressure you choose to take. For me, this award will motivate me even more. It will push me to keep doing better work, create better pieces, and achieve much more than what I'm doing right now. It's a big motivation," he said.

Aaj Ki Raat, featuring Tamannaah Bhatia and Rajkummar Rao, was among the biggest chartbusters of Stree 2. The song dominated music charts and social media, with its hook step and choreography becoming widely popular.

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Published By: shweta keshri Published On: Jul 18, 2026 20:14 IST