Nilanjan
The 69th National Film Awards were announced on Thursday, August 24, 2023, at the National Media Center in New Delhi. The awards honoured the best of Indian cinema from the year 2021, across languages and genres. The ceremony will be held at a later date, when the President will present the awards to the winners.
The National Film Awards are considered as the most prestigious and credible film awards in India, as they are decided by an independent jury of experts from various fields of cinema. The awards are given for feature films, non-feature films, and books on cinema.
This year, the jury was headed by filmmaker Prasoon Joshi, who announced the winners along with other jury members. The jury received a total of 461 entries for feature films and 220 entries for non-feature films.
The jury praised the diversity and quality of Indian cinema, and said that they tried to select the best films that reflected the socio-cultural realities of the country.
Among the winners, some of the notable names were Allu Arjun, who won the Best Actor award for his performance in Pushpa, a Telugu action thriller film directed by Sukumar. Allu Arjun played a lorry driver who gets involved in a red sanders smuggling racket.
Pallavi Joshi won the Best Supporting Actress award for her role in The Kashmir Files, a Hindi film directed by Vivek Agnihotri. Pallavi Joshi played a Kashmiri Pandit woman who narrates her ordeal during the exodus of 1990.
Other prominent winners were Alia Bhatt and Kriti Sanon, who shared the Best Actress award for their roles in Gangubai Kathiawadi and Mimi respectively. Gangubai Kathiawadi, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, was a biographical drama film based on the life of a brothel owner in Mumbai. Mimi, directed by Laxman Utekar, was a comedy-drama film about a surrogate mother.
The Best Feature Film award went to Rocketry, a biographical drama film based on the life of Nambi Narayanan, a former scientist at ISRO who was falsely accused of espionage. The film was directed by R. Madhavan, who also played the lead role.
The Best Director award went to Nikhil Mahajan for his Marathi film Godavari, a romantic comedy film set in Nashik. The film was praised for its realistic portrayal of rural life and culture.
The Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment award went to RRR, a Telugu period action film directed by S.S. Rajamouli. The film starred N.T.Rama Rao Jr., Ram Charan, Alia Bhatt, and Ajay Devgn in lead roles. The film was a fictional story based on the lives of two freedom fighters from the early 20th century.
The Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration went to The Kashmir Files, which also won the Best Supporting Actress award. The film was a historical drama film that depicted the plight of the Kashmiri Pandit community during the exodus of 1990.
Here is the full list of winners at the 69th National Film Awards:
Feature Films
- Best Feature Film: Rocketry
- Best Director: Nikhil Mahajan, Godavari
- Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment: RRR
- Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration: The Kashmir Files
- Best Actor: Allu Arjun, Pushpa
- Best Actress: Alia Bhatt, Gangubai Kathiawadi and Kriti Sanon, Mimi
- Best Supporting Actor: Pankaj Tripathi, Mimi
- Best Supporting Actress: Pallavi Joshi, The Kashmir Files
- Best Child Artist: Bhavin Rabari, Chhello Show
- Best Screenplay (Original): Shahi Kabir, Nayattu
- Best Screenplay (Adapted): Sanjay Leela Bhansali & Utkarshini Vashishtha, Gangubai Kathiawadi
- Best Dialogue Writer: Utkarshini Vashishtha & Prakash Kapadia, Gangubai Kathiawadi
- Best Music Director (Songs): Devi Sri Prasad, Pushpa
- Best Music Direction (Background Music): MM Keeravaani, RRR
- Best Male Playback Singer: Kaala Bhairava, RRR
- Best Female Playback Singer: Shreya Ghoshal, Iravin Nizhal
- Best Lyrics: Chandrabose, Konda Polam’s Dham Dham Dham
- Best Hindi Film: Sardar Udham
- Best Kannada Film: 777 Charlie
- Best Malayalam Film: Home
- Best Gujurati Film: Chhello Show
- Best Tamil Film: Kadaisi Vivasayi
- Best Telugu Film: Uppena
- Best Maithili Film: Samanantar
- Best Mishing Film: Boomba Ride
- Best Marathi Film: Ekda Kaay Zala
- Best Bengali Film: Kalkokkho
- Best Assamese Film: Anur
- Best Meiteilon Film: Eikhoigi Yum
- Best Odiya Film: Pratikshya
- Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director: Meppadiyan, Vishnu Mohan
- Best Film on Social Issues: Anunaad – The Resonance
- Best Film on Environment Conservation/Preservation: Aavasavyuham
- Best Children’s Film: Gandhi and Co
- Best Audiography (Location Sound Recordist): Arun Asok & Sonu K P, Chavittu
- Best Audiography (Sound Designer): Aneesh Basu, Jhilli
- Best Audiography (Re-recordist of the final mixed track): Sinoy Joseph, Sardar Udham
- Best Choreography: Prem Rakshith, RRR
- Best Cinematography: Avik Mukhopadhayay, Sardar Udham
- Best Costume Designer: Veera Kapur Ee, Sardar Udham
- Best Special Effects: Srinivas Mohan, RRR
- Best Production Design: Dmitrii Malich and Mansi Dhruv Mehta, Sardar Udham
- Best Editing: Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Gangubai Kathiawadi
- Best Make-up: Preetisheel Singh, Gangubai Kathiawadi
- Best Stunt Choreography: King Soloman, RRR
- Special Jury Award: Shershaah, Vishnuvardhan
- Special Mention:
- Late Shri Nallandi, Kadaisi Vivasayi
- Aranya Gupta & Bithan Biswas, Jhilli
- Indrans, Home
- Jahanara Begum, Anur
Non-feature Films
The winners of the non-feature films category were also announced by the jury. The non-feature films are short films, documentaries, and animation films that are not meant for theatrical release. The jury received a total of 220 entries for this category.
Here is the list of winners for the non-feature films category:
- Best Non-feature Film: Bittu
- Best Debut Non-feature Film of a Director: Khisa
- Best Biographical/Historical Reconstruction/Compilation Film: 100 Years of Chrysostom
- Best Arts/Cultural Film: A Painter of Eloquent Silence – KG Subramanyan
- Best Scientific/Environment/Conservation/Preservation Film: Wild Karnataka
- Best Promotional Film (to cover tourism/cultural/business and other aspects): The Shower
- Best Educational/Instructional/Training Film or Video: Apples and Oranges
- Best Exploration/Adventure (to include sports) Film or Video: Ladakh Chale Rickshawala
- Best Investigative Film or Video: Jakkal
- Best Film on Family Values: Listen to Me
- Best Short Fiction Film: Custody
- Best Animation Film: The Basket
- Special Jury Award: Ahimsa – Gandhi: The Power of the Powerless
- Best Direction: Farida Pacha, Watch Over Me
- Best Cinematography: Savita Singh, Son Rise
- Best Audiography: Radhakrishnan S, A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
- Best Editing: Arjun Gourisaria, Shut Up Sona
- Best Music Direction: Alokananda Dasgupta, Biriyani
- Best Narration/Voice Over: Vijay Raaz, Wild Karnataka
- Special Mention:
- Savitha Rani, Tailing Pond
- Saurav Vishnu, Tailing Pond
- Rima Das, For Each Other
Books on Cinema
The winners of the books on cinema category were also announced by the jury. The books on cinema are books that deal with various aspects of cinema such as history, criticism, theory, etc. The jury received a total of 14 entries for this category.
Here is the list of winners for the books on cinema category:
- Best Book on Cinema: Cinema Paharana Manus (The Man Who Dwarfed the Mountains) by Ramesh Tekwani
- Special Mention: Aathvaan Sur (The Eighth Note) by Anant Mahadevan
Film Criticism
The winner of the film criticism category was also announced by the jury. The film criticism award is given to a film critic who has written outstanding reviews or articles on cinema in any Indian language. The jury received a total of 6 entries for this category.
Here is the winner of the film criticism category:
- Best Film Critic: Bhopal-based film critic Dilip Chitre
The 69th National Film Awards were a celebration of the diversity and excellence of Indian cinema. The awards recognised the achievements of filmmakers, actors, technicians, writers, critics, and others who contributed to the art and industry of cinema. The awards also reflected the changing trends and tastes of the audience, who embraced films from different languages and genres.
We congratulate all the winners and nominees of the 69th National Film Awards. We hope that they will continue to inspire and entertain us with their work. We also look forward to the next edition of the National Film Awards, which will honour the best films of 2022.
