Priyanka Chopra's Marathi production Paani has won the Best Film award in the Environment Conservation category, and the actress-producer has congratulated the film's director, Adinath Kothare, as well as its production team.

"Although Adinath was making his directorial debut with this film, I knew he would be a force to reckon with. And now here we are with a National Award for our labour of love. I couldn't be more proud of Adinath and his creative team and my team at Purple Pebble Pictures (PPP). My sincere gratitude to the jury for recognising our hard work and awarding Paani with the 'Best Feature Film on Environment Conservation award. When we started PPP, it was with the intent of producing stories of substance. We wanted to tell local stories that, along with entertaining people, also had a purpose and tackled the pressing issues we face today. Paani was one such film -- one that I knew instantly that I wanted to make," said Priyanka.

Earlier, Priyanka's Marathi production Ventilator won three National awards in 2016.

While the National award-winning actress wishes to continue telling more stories of human interest, she believes that such awards boost confidence of storytellers.

"It has given us further impetus to continue on the path of telling the stories that combine entertainment with socially relevant issues. We are honoured that the film had an impact and that our efforts have been recognized," Priyanka added.