Paresh Rawal recently opened up about a moment in the early 1990s when he lost out on the National Award despite initially being told he had won. In a conversation with The Lallantop, the actor shared that he was once the frontrunner for the Best Actor award for his performance in Sardar. However, it was Malayalam superstar Mammootty who ultimately bagged the award. Rawal recalled receiving an early morning call while shooting in Mauritius in 1993 or 1994. It was producer Mukesh Bhatt who informed him that he was set to receive the National Award for the film Sir. Just as he was absorbing the news, another call came, this time from filmmaker Kalpana Lajmi. She told him he had won the Best Actor award for Sardar, directed by Ketan Mehta. “Sardar ke liye? Ketan Mehta ki film ke liye?” (For Sardar? The one directed by Ketan Mehta?), Rawal asked her, to which she confirmed, “Haan, Ketan Mehta ki film ke liye” (Yes, for Ketan Mehta’s film). Naturally elated, Rawal returned to Delhi only to …