On August 1, 2025, the Jury of the 71st National Film Awards announced the list of winners of the National Award for the year 2023 at an event held at the National Media Centre in New Delhi, Delhi.
- The list of awardees was presented to Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB), and Minister of State (MoS) Dr. L. Murugan, MIB.
Exam Hints:
- What? Winners of the 71st National Film Awards are announced
- Year: 2023
- By Whom? Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB)
- Who Organised? Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF), MIB
- Best Actor for feature films: Actor Vikrant Massey for 12th Fail (Hindi), Actor Shah Rukh Khan for Jawan (Hindi)’
- Best Actress: Actress Rani Mukerji for Mrs. Chatterjee V/s Norway (Hindi)
- Best Feature Film: “12th Fail”, directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra.
- Best Non-Feature Film: ‘Floweing Man’ (Hindi) directed by Soumyajit Ghosh Dastidar
- Most Awards: ‘Sam Bahadur’ (Hindi) won 3 awards
Highlights of the Awards:
Best Actor: The Best Actor award was shared by Vikrant Massey for the Hindi film “12th Fail” and Shah Rukh Khan for the Hindi film “Jawan”. The actors share the Rajat Kamal (Silver Lotus award) and the cash prize of Rs. 2 lakhs.
- This marks the first National Film Award for Shah Rukh Khan in his cinema career.
Best Actress: Actress Rani Mukerji has won the Best Actress award for the Hindi film Mrs. Chatterjee V/s Norway. She will be honoured with a silver lotus award and a cash prize of Rs. 2 lakhs.
Best Feature Film: The Hindi film “12th Fail”, directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, bagged the Best Feature Film Award.
- The movie follows the journey of a boy from a small village, who fails in class 12 exams but refuses to give up on his dream of becoming a civil servant. The movie emphasizes resilience, honesty, and hard work, which made the boy achieve his goal.
Best Non-Feature Film: The Hindi film ‘Floweing Man’, directed by Soumyajit Ghosh Dastidar, was awarded the Best Non-Feature Film.
- The film portrays a deep human, poetic narrative, focusing on rural life, personal transformation, or environmental harmony.
Best Popular Film: The Hindi film ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’ has bagged two awards, including Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment and Best Choreography.
Most Awards: The Hindi film ‘ Sam Bahadur’ won 3 awards, including Best Film Promoting National/ Social/Environmental Values, Best Costume Design, and Best Make-Up Artist.
Best Director: The Hindi film ‘Kerala Story’ won two awards, including Best Director for Sudipto Sen and Best Cinematography.
National Film Awards:
Presented: The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award, presented by the Government of India (GOI) to celebrate excellence in cinema across all languages, regions, and formats.
Organised: It is organised by the Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF) under MIB.
Established: It was established in 1954 to encourage production of films which are aesthetic, technical, and are of social relevance.
Sections: The awards are divided into three sections such as Feature films, Non-Feature films, and Best Writing on Cinema.
Categories: Six categories from the Feature film section, Two from the Non-Feature films and Best Writing on Cinema sections have been made eligible for Swarna Kamal (Golden Lotus Award), and the rest of the categories for Rajat Kamal (Silver Lotus Award).
Jury of 71st National Film Awards:
Feature Films: The Feature Film Jury was chaired by Director and Actor, Ashutosh Gowariker (Central Panel), Director Jose Antony Palackapillil (North Panel), Actor Shivadhvaj Shetty (East Panel), Director and Screenwriter Tushar Hiranandani (West Panel), Actor Abhijeet Shirish Deshpande (South Panel I), and Cinematographer Malay Ray.
Non-Feature Film: The Non-Feature Film Jury was chaired by Director P Sheshadri
Best Writing: The Best Writing on Cinema Jury was chaired by Writer Gopalkrishna Pai.
71st National Film Awards – Best Film Critic
| Awardee | Language | Medal & Cash Prize |
|---|---|---|
| Utpal Datta | Assamese | Swarna Kamal and Rs. 1 lakh |
Winners of 71st National Film Awards- Non-Feature Film
| Category | Film (Language) | Awardee | Medal & Cash Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Non-Feature Film | Flowering Man (Hindi) | Producer: Film and Television Institute of India Director: Soumyajit Ghosh Dastidar | Swarna Kamal Rs. 3 lakh each |
| Best Debut Film of a Director | Mau: The Spirit Dreams of Cheraw (Mizo) | Director: Shilpika Bordoloi | Swarna Kamal Rs.3 lakh each |
| Best Biographical/ Historical Reconstruction/ Compilation Film | Mo Bou, Mo Gaan (Odia) | Producer: Kicksy Wicksy Films, RNV 1820 Films Director: Subash Sahoo | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2 lakhs (shared) |
| Lentina Ao- A Light on the Eastern Horizon | Producer: NFDC Director: Sanjib Parasar | ||
| Best Arts/ Culture Film | Timeless Tamil Nadu (English) | Producer: Celebrities Management Private Limited Director: Kamakhya Narayan Singh | Rajat Kamal Rs.2 lakh |
| Best Documentary | God Vulture and Human (English, Hindi & Telugu) | Producer: Studio Lichi, Dr. Rajesh Chandwani Director: Rishiraj Agarwal | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2 lakh each |
| Best Non-Feature Film Promoting Social and Environmental Values | The Silent Epidemic (Hindi) | Producer: Cinema4good Private Limited, Raahgiri Foundation Director: Akshat Gupta | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2 lakh each |
| Best Short Film (Up to 30 minutes) | Giddh The Scavenger (Hindi) | Producer: Ellanar Films Director: Manish Saini | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2 lakh each |
| Best Direction | The First Film (Hindi) | Director: Piyush Thakur | Swarna Kamal Rs. 3 lakh each |
| Best Cinematography | Little Wings (Tamil) | Cinematographer: Saravanamaruthu Soundarapandi & Meenakshi Soman | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2 lakhs (shared) |
| Best Sound Design | Dhundhgiri Ke Phool | Sound Designer: Shubharun Sengupta | Rajat Kamal Rs.2 lakhs |
| Best Editing | Moving Focus (English) | Editor: Niladri Roy | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2 lakhs |
| Best Music Direction | The First Film (Hindi) | Music Director: Pranil Desai | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2 lakhs |
| Best Narration/ Voice Over | The Sacred Jack- Exploring the Tree of Wishes (English) | Narrator: Harikrishnan S | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2 lakhs |
| Best Script | Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know…. (Kannada) | Script Writer: Chidananda Naik | Rajat Kamal Rs.2 lakhs |
| Special Mention | Nekal – Chronicle of the Paddy Man (Malayalam) | Director & Producer: M K Ramadas | Certificate (each) |
| The Sea and Seven Villages (Odia) | Producer: Kadambini Media Private Limited Director: Himansu Sekhar Khatua | Certificate (each) |
Winners of 71st National Film Awards – Feature Film
| Category | Film (Language) | Awardee | Medal & Cash Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Feature Film | 12th Fail (Hindi) | Producer: VC Films LLP | Swarna Kamal Rs. 3 lakhs each |
| Best Debut Film of a Director | Aatmapamphlet (Marathi) | Director: Ashish Bende | Swarna Kamal Rs. 3 lakhs |
| Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment | Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (Hindi) | Producer: Dharma Productions Private Limited Director: Karan Johar | Swarna Kamal Rs.3 lakhs each |
| Best Feature Film Promoting National, Social, and Environmental Values | Sam Bahadur (Hindi) | Producer: Unilazer Ventures Private Limited Director: Meghna Gulzar | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2 lakhs each |
| Best Children’s Film | Naal 2 (Marathi) | Producer: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited, Aatpat Productions Director: Sudhakar Reddy Yakkanti | Swarna Kamal Rs. 3 lakhs each |
| Best Film in AVGC (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming & Comic) | Hanu-Man (Telugu) | Producer: Primeshow Entertainment Private Limited Director: Prasanth Varma | Swarna Kamal Rs. 3 lakhs each |
| Animator: Jetty Venkat Kumar | Swarna Kamal Rs. 3 lakhs | ||
| VFX Supervisor: Jetty Venkat Kumar | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2 lakhs | ||
| Best Direction | The Kerala Story (Hindi) | Director: Sudipto Sen | Swarna Kamal Rs.3 lakhs |
| Best Actor in a Leading Role | Jawan (Hindi) | Actor: Shah Rukh Khan | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2 lakhs (shared) |
| 12th Fail (Hindi) | Actor: Vikrant Massey | ||
| Best Actress in a Leading Role | Mrs. Chatterjee V/s Norway (Hindi) | Actress: Rani Mukerji | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2 lakhs |
| Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Pookkaalam (Malayalam) | Supporting Actor: Vijayaraghavan | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2 lakhs (shared) |
| Parking (Tamil) | Supporting Actor: Muthupettai Somu Bhaskar | ||
| Best Actress in a Supporting Role | Ullozhuku (Malayalam) | Supporting Actress: Urvashi | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2 lakhs (shared) |
| Vash (Gujarat) | Supporting Actress: Janki Bodiwala | ||
| Best Child Artist | Gandhi Tatha Chettu (Telugu) | Child Artist: Sukriti Veni Bandreddi | Rajat Kamal Rs 2 lakhs (Shared) |
| Gypsy (Marathi) | Child Artist: Kabir Khandare | ||
| Naal 2 (Marathi) | Child Artist: Treesha Thosar, Shrinivas Pokale & Bhargav Jagtap | ||
| Best Male Playback Singer | Baby (Premisthunna) (Telugu) | Singer: PVN S Rohit | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2 lakhs |
| Best Female Playback Singer | Jawan (Chaliya) (Hindi) | Singer: Shilpa Rao | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2 lakhs |
| Best Cinematography | The Kerala Story (Hindi) | Cinematographer: Prasantanu Mohapatra | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2 lakhs |
| Baby (Telugu) | Screenplay Writer (Original): Sai Rajesh Neelam | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2 lakhs (Shared) Rajat Kamal Rs. 2 lakhs (shared) | |
| Parking (Tamil) | Screenplay Writer (Original): Ramkumar Balakrishnan | ||
| Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai (Hindi) | Dialogue Writer: Deepak Kingrani | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2 lakhs | |
| Best Sound Design | Animal (Hindi) | Sound Designer: Sachin Sudhakaran, Hariharan Muralidharan | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2 lakhs (Shared) |
| Best Editing | Pookkaalam (Malayalam) | Editor: Midhun Murali | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2 lakhs |
| Best Production Design | 2018-Everyone Is A Hero (Malayalam) | Production Designer: Mohandas | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2 lakhs |
| Best Costume Designer | Sam Bahadur (Hindi) | Costume Designer: Sachin Lovalekar, Divvya Gambhir, and Nidhhi Gambhir | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2 lakhs (shared) |
| Best Make-up | Sam Bahadur (Hindi) | Make-up Artist: Shrikant Desai | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2 lakhs |
| Best Music Direction | Vaathi (Tamil) | Music Director (Songs): G V Prakash Kumar | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2 lakhs |
| Animal (Hindi) | Music Director (Background Music): Harshavardhan Rameshwar | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2 lakhs | |
| Best Lyrics | Balagam (Ooru Palleturu) (Telugu) | Kasarla Shyam | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2 lakhs |
| Best Choreography | Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (Dhindhora Baje Re) (Hindi) | Choreographer: Vaibhavi Merchant | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2 lakhs |
| Best Action Direction Award (Stunt Choreography) | Hanu-Man (Telugu) | Stunt Choreographer: Nandhu Prudhvi | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2 lakhs |
Best Feature Film- Language Wise
| Category | Film | Awardee | Medal & Cash Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Feature Film in the language specified in Schedule VIII of the Constitution | |||
| Best Assamese Film | Rongatapu 1982 | Producer: BRC Cine Production Director: Adityam Saikia | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2 lakhs each |
| Best Bengali Film | Deep Fridge | Producer: Colors of Dream Entertainment Director: Arjun Dutta | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2 lakhs each |
| Best Gujarati Film | Vash | Producer: Big Box Series Private Limited, K S Entertainment LLP Director: Krishnadev Yagnik | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2 lakhs each |
| Best Hindi Film | Kathal: A Jackfruit Mystery | Producer: Netflix Entertainment Services Private Limited, Balaji Telefilms Limited, Sikhya Entertainment Private Limited Director: Yashowardhan Mishra | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2 lakhs each |
| Best Kannada Film | Kandeelu- The Ray of Hope | Producer: Swastik Entertainment Director: K Yashoda Prakash | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2 lakhs each |
| Best Malayalam Film | Ullozhukku (Undercurrent) | Producer: Unnilazer Ventures Private Limited, Macguffin Pictures Director: Christo Tomy | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2 lakhs each |
| Best Marathi Film | Shyamchi Aai | Producer: Amruta Films Director: Sujay Sunil Dahake | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2 lakhs each |
| Best Odia Film | Pushkara | Producer: Tarang Cine Productions Director: Subhransu Das | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2 lakhs each |
| Best Punjabi Film | Godday Godday Chaa | Producer: VH Entertainment, Zee Studios Director: Vijay Kumar Arora | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2 lakhs each |
| Best Tamil Film | Parking | Producer: Soldiers Factory, Passion Studio Director: Ramkumar Balakrishnan | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2 lakhs each |
| Best Telugu Film | Bhagavanth Kesari (I Don’t Care) | Producer: Shine Screens (India) LLP Director: Anil Ravipudi | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2 lakhs each |
| Best Feature Film in the Languages other than those specified in the Schedule VIII of the Constitution | |||
| Best Garo Film | Rimdogittanga | Producer: Anna Films, Uncombed Buddha, Joicy Studio Director: Dominic Megam Sangma | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2 lakhs each |
| Best Tai Phake Film | Pai Tang Step of Hope | Producer: Naba Kumar Bhuyan Director: Prabal Khaund | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2 lakhs each
|
| Special Mention | Animal (Re-Recording Mixer) (Hindi) | M R Rajakrishnan | Certificate |
About the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB):
Union Minister – Ashwini Vaishnaw (Rajya Sabha – Odisha)
Minister of State (MoS) – Dr. L. Murugan (Rajya Sabha – Madhya Pradesh, MP)
