Lyrical Muse

The winners of the 71st National Film Awards were announced on Friday, August 1, by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B), spotlighting a year marked by powerful biopics, bold storytelling and career-defining performances. Recognizing the finest cinematic achievements of 2023, the awards this year brought both expected wins and a few standout surprises.

Bollywood icon Shah Rukh Khan clinched his first-ever National Award for his dual role in “Jawan”, Atlee’s high-octane action thriller where he plays a vigilante targeting corrupt institutions. Also starring Nayanthara and Vijay Sethupathi, the film was a box office juggernaut, crossing the ₹1000-crore mark globally.

Actor Vikrant Massey shared the Best Actor honour for his deeply affecting portrayal in “12th Fail”, a biographical drama based on the life of IPS officer Manoj Kumar Sharma. The film also took home the top honour of Best Feature Film.

Bollywood actress Rani Mukerji was named Best Actress for her emotionally charged performance in “Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway”, in which she plays a determined mother fighting to regain custody of her children from the Norwegian welfare system.

Meanwhile, “The Kerala Story” director Sudipto Sen was awarded Best Director, and Karan Johar’s “Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani” was recognized for its mass appeal, bagging the award for Best Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment.

Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s “Animal”, one of 2023’s most talked-about and controversial blockbusters, secured three awards. The Ranbir Kapoor-led drama received a Special Mention for re-recording (M.R. Rajakrishnan), along with awards for Best Background Score and Best Sound Design.

From commercial heavyweights like “Animal” and “Jawan” to nuanced regional gems such as “Parking”, “Vash”, and “Kutch Express”, the 71st edition showcased the evolving landscape and rich diversity of Indian cinema across languages and genres.

Here’s a complete breakdown of all the winners from this year’s National Film Awards:

Feature Films (Regional Films)

• Telugu: “Bhagavanth Kesari”
• Tamil: “Parking”
• Malayalam: “Ullozhukku”
• Kannada: “Kandeelu – The Ray of Hope”
• Hindi: “Kathal: A Jackfruit Mystery”
• Gujarati: “Vash”
• Best Punjabi Film: “Godday Godday Chaa”
• Best Odia Film: “Pushkara”
• Best Marathi Film: “Shyamchi Aai”
• Best Feature Film: ‘12th Fail’ (Hindi)

• Best Actor: Shah Rukh Khan, ‘Jawan’ (Hindi) & Vikrant Massey, ‘12th Fail’ (Hindi)
• Best Actress: Rani Mukerji, ‘Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway’ (Hindi)
• Best Direction: Sudipto Sen, ‘The Kerala Story’ (Hindi)
• Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Vijayaraghavan, ‘Pookkaalam’ (Malayalam) & MS Bhaskar, ‘Parking’ (Tamil)
• Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Urvashi, ‘Ullozhukku’ (Malayalam), Janki Bodiwala, ‘Vash’ (Gujarati)

• Special Mention: Re-recording: M.R. Rajakrishnan, ‘Animal’ (Hindi)
• Stunt Choreography: Nandu and Prudhvi, Hanu-Man (Telugu)
• Best Choreography: Vaibhav Merchant, ‘Dhindoora Baja Re’, ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani’ (Hindi)
• Best Lyrics: Kasarla Shyam, ‘Ooru Palleturu’, ‘Balagam’ (Telugu)
• Best Music Direction (Songs): G.V. Prakash, ‘Vaathi’ (Tamil)
• Background Score: Harshavardhan Rameshwar, ‘Animal’ (Hindi)
• Make Up: Shrikant Desai, ‘Sam Bahadur’ (Hindi)
• Costume Designer: Sachin Lovalekar, Divvya Gambir and Niddhi Gambhir, ‘Sam Bahadur’ (Hindi)
• Production Design: Mohandas, ‘2018 – Everyone Is A Hero’ (Malayalam)
• Editing: Midhun Murali, Pookkaalam (Malayalam)
• Sound Design: Sachin Sudhakaran and Hariharan Muralidharan, ‘Animal’ (Hindi)
• Screenplay: Sai Rajesh Neelam, ‘Baby’ (Telugu) & Ramkumar Balakrishnan, ‘Parking’ (Tamil)
• Dialogue writer: Deepak Kingrani, ‘Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai’ (Hindi)
• Cinematography: Prasantanu Mohapatra, ‘The Kerala Story’ (Hindi)
• Best Playback Singer: Shilpa Rao (Chaliya – ‘Jawan’, Hindi), Rohit (Premisthunna – ‘Baby’, Telugu)
• Best Child Artist: Sukriti Bandireddi (‘Gandhi Thatha Chettu’, Telugu), Kabir Khandare (Gypsy, Tamil), Treesha Toshar, Shrinivas Pokale, Bhargav (‘Naal 2, Marathi)
• Best Film in AVGC: ‘Hanu-Man’ (Telugu)
• Best Children’s Film: ‘Naal 2’ (Marathi)
• Best Film Promoting National, Social Values: Sam Bahadur (Hindi)
• Best Debut Film: ‘Aatmapamphlet’ (Hindi)

Non-Feature Films

• Special mentions: M.K. Ramadas, ‘Nekal – Chronicle of the Paddy Man’ (Malayalam), Himansu Sekhar Khatua (Director), Kadambini Media Pvt Ltd (Producer) ‘The Sea and the Seven Villages’
• Best Script: Chidanand Naik, ‘Sunflowers Were The First Ones To Know’ (Kannada)
• Best Voiceover: Hari Krishnan S. ‘The Sacred Jack – Exploring The Tree of Wishes’ (English)
• Best Music Direction: Pranil Desai ‘The First Film’ (Hindi)
• Best Editing: Niladri Roy ‘Moving Focus’ (English)
• Best Sound Design: Shubarun Sengupta ‘Dhundhgiri Ke Phool’ (Hindi)
• Best Cinematography: Meenakshi Soman, Saravanamaruthu ‘Little Wings’ (Tamil)
• Best Direction: Piyush Thakur, ‘The First Film’ (Hindi)
• Best Short Film: ‘Giddh The Scavenger’ (Hindi)
• Best Non-Feature Film Promoting Social and Environmental Values: ‘The Silent Epidemic’ (Hindi)
• Best Documentary Film: ‘God Vulture and Human’ (English, Hindi & Telugu)
• Best Art/Culture Film: ‘Timeless Tamil Nadu’ (English)
• Best Biographical/Historical Reconstruction Film: ‘Mo Bou Mo Gaan, Lentina Ao’ (Odia’)
• Best Debut Film: ‘The Spirit Dreams of Cheraw’ (Mizo)
• Best Non-Fiction Film: ‘Flowering Man’ (Hindi)
• Best Film Critic: Utpal Datta (Assamese)

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