Touted as one of the most sought-after and diverse lineups of nominees, News18's second edition of Reel Movie Awards took place today evening. The much-awaited award ceremony awarded veteran actor Manoj Pahwa the Best Supporting Actor award for his phenomenal performance in Anubhav Sinha's 2018 feature film "Mulk".

Competing against the much-hailed Pankaj Tripathi for his comedy horror film Stree and Vicky Kaushal for his role in the spy thriller film Raazi, Manoj Pahwa's Bilaal Ali Mohammed from Mulk won the hearts of the audience and garnered the laurels of the critiques. The list also included Sunil Grover for his role in Vishal Bhardwaj's comedy-drama film Pataakha along with Jaideep Ahlawat for Meghna Gulzar's Raazi.

The 54-year-old actor, over the years, has mainly featured in comedy-centric supporting roles in mainstream commercial films and serials. Manoj, in his acting career spanning more than 45 films, has shared the screen with superstars such as Akshay Kumar, Salman Khan and Priyanka Chopra in blockbuster films like "Ready", "Singh is Kinng", "London Dreams", "Jolly LLB", "Dil Dhadakne Do" among others. However, it was recently that Pahwa received appreciation for the poignant portrayal of a vulnerable Muslim man wrongly accused of terrorism.

Manoj Pahwa on receiving the first award of his life said, "I'd like to thank News18, the Reel Awards. The line-up of nominations was so amazing. It feels great to see quality artists and performances being recognized. It is a lovely feeling to be considered amongst such great artists in the country. Thank you Anubhav Sinha for believing in me and giving me a role that I could perform so well."