On 24th August 2023, the winners of the 69th National Film Awards (2023) were announced by the jury panel during the event held at the National Media Centre, New Delhi, Delhi. Anurag Thakur, the Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, was presented with the list of the winners.
- 69th National Film Awards honoured the best films of 2021 in Indian cinema.
- The National Film Awards are organized by the Directorate of Film Festivals(DFF), under Ministry for Information and Broadcasting (MIB).
- The awards are categorised into five categories. They are Dadasaheb Phalke Award(Lifetime Achievement Award), Feature films, Non Features films, Best writing on cinema and Most film friendly state.
Note – The Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF) was set up under this Ministry in 1973 with the objective of promotion of Indian films and cultural exchange through organization of various events in the country and participation in various International film festivals in abroad.
Who announced the award?
The awards were announced by Ketan Mehta (Chairperson of the Feature Films Jury), Vasanth S Sai (Chairperson of the Non-Feature Films Jury) and Yatindra Mishra (Chairperson of the Best Writing on Cinema Jury).
- The awards were announced in the presence of Ms. Neerja Sekhar, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Note: Currently the award is announced only for three categories ie., Feature films, Non Features films, Best writing on cinema.
Highlights:
i.RRR(Rise Roar Revolt), a Telugu film directed by S. S. Rajamouli, has won the most number of awards i.e. 6 at the 69th National Film Awards.
- The Hindi movie ‘Gangubai’ Kathiawadi and Sardar Udham received five awards each.
ii.Rocketry: The Nambi Effect, directed by R Madhavan won the Best Feature Film award.
- Rocketry: The Nambi Effect is a biographical drama based on the life story of Indian Space Research Organization(ISRO) scientist Nambi Narayanan, who was accused in the ISRO espionage case and later exonerated.
iii.Ek Tha Gaon directed by Srishti Lakhera won the Best Non-Feature Film award.
- Ek Tha Gaon is a documentary film on a Ghost Village made in Garhwali and Hindi language.
iv.The Kashmir Files directed by Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri won the Nargis Dutt Award for Best Film on National Integration.
Best Actor and Actress:
i.Telugu Actor Allu Arjun won the Best Actor award for the film Pushpa (The Rise Part I). With this, he became the first Telugu actor to win the National Award under Best Actor category.
ii.The Best Actress award was shared by Alia Bhatt for Gangubai Kathiawadi and Kriti Sanon for Mimi.
Golden Lotus (Swarna Kamal) Award:
All the awardees under this section will be awarded with a certificate and a cash prize.
| Swarna Kamal (Golden Lotus)Award for Feature Film | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Film | Language | Awardee | Cash Prize |
| Best Feature Film | Rocketry: The Nambi Effect | Hindi | Producer: Rocketry Entertainment LLP Director: R Madhavan |
Rs. 2,50,000 (each) |
| Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director | Meppadiyan (Person above mentioned) | Malayalam | Producer: Unni Mukundan Films Private Ltd. Director: Vishnu Mohan |
Rs.1,25,000 (each) |
| Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment | RRR | Telugu | Producer: DVV Entertainments LLP Director: S S Rajamouli |
Rs.2,00,000/- (each) |
| Best Children’s Film | Gandhi&Co. | Gujarati | Producer: MD Media Corp Director: Manish Saini |
Rs.1,50,000/- (each) |
| Best Direction | Godavari (The Holy Water) | Marathi | Director: Nikhil Mahajan | Rs. 2,50,000/- |
| Swarna Kamal Award for Non-Feature Film | ||||
| Category | Film | Language | Awardee | Cash Prize |
| Best Non-Feature Film | Ek Tha Gaon | Hindi | Producer & Director: Srishti Lakhera | Rs. 1,50,000/- each |
| Best Direction | Smile Please | Marathi | Director: Bakul Matiyani | Rs. 1,50,000/- |
| Swarna Kamal Award for Best Writing on Cinema | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Book | Language | Author | Publisher | Cash prize |
| Award for Best Book on Cinema | Music by Laxmikant Pyarelal: The Incredibly Melodious Journey | English | Rajiv Vijayakar | Rupa Publications India Pvt. Ltd. | Rs.75,000/- |
Note: Purushothama Charyulu, Telugu Film also received the Swarna Kamal Award for Best Film Critic with an entitled cash prize of Rs.75,000/-
Rajat Kamal(Silver Lotus):
The best Film on Social Issues award of Rajat Kamal was received by Anunaad-The Resonance (Assamese) under the Feature Film Category.
| Rajat Kamal(Silver Lotus) for feature films | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Film | Language | Awardee | Cash Prize |
| Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration | The Kashmir Files | Hindi | Producer:Zee Studios Limited Director: Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri |
Rs. 1,50,000/- (each) |
| Best Film on Environment Conservation/Preservation | Aavasavyuham | Malayalam | Producer: Krishand Films | Rs. 1,50,000/- (each) |
| Director: Krishand | ||||
| Best Actor | Pushpa (The Rise Part I) | Telugu | Lead Actor: Allu Arjun | Rs. 50,000/- |
| Best Actress | Gangubai Kathiawadi | Hindi | Lead Actress: Alia Bhatt | Rs. 50,000/- |
| Mimi (Hindi) | Hindi | Lead Actress: Kriti Sanon | ||
| Best Supporting Actor | Mimi | Hindi | Supporting Actor: Pankaj Tripathi | Rs. 50,000/- |
| Best Supporting Actress | The Kashmir Files | Hindi | Supporting Actress: Pallavi Joshi | Rs. 50,000/- |
| Best Child Artist | Last Film Show (Chhello Show) | Gujarati | Child Artist : Bhavin Rabari | Rs. 50,000/- |
| Best Male Playback Singer | RRR | Telugu | Singer : Kaala Bhairava | Rs. 50,000/- |
| (Song : Komuram Bheemudo) | ||||
| Best Female Playback Singer | Iravin Nizhal (Shadow of the Night) | Tamil | Singer : Shreya Ghoshal | Rs. 50,000/- |
| (Song : Maayava Chaayavaa) | ||||
| Best Cinematography | Sardar Udham | Hindi | Cameraman: Avik Mukhopadhayay | Rs. 50,000/- |
| Best Screenplay | Nayattu (The Hunt) | Malayalam | Screenplay writer (original): Shahi Kabir | Rs. 50,000/- (each) |
| Gangubai Kathiawadi | Hindi | Screenplay writer(Adapted): | ||
| Sanjay Leela Bhansali & Utkarshini Vashishtha | ||||
| Gangubai Kathiawadi | Hindi | Dialogue Writer: Utkarshini Vashishtha & Prakash Kapadia | ||
| Best Audiography | Chavittu | Malayalam | Best Production Sound Recordist (Location / sync sound) : | Rs. 50,000/- (each) |
| Arun Asok & Sonu K P | ||||
| Jhilli (Discards) | Bengali | Sound Designer: Aneesh Basu | ||
| Sardar Udham | Hindi | Re- Recording (Final Mixing): Sinoy Joseph | ||
| Best Editing | Gangubai Kathiawadi | Hindi | Editor: Sanjay Leela Bhansali | Rs. 50,000/- |
| Best Production Design | Sardar Udham | Hindi | Production Designer: Dmitrii Malich & Mansi Dhruv Mehta | Rs. 50,000/- (Shared) |
| Best Costume Designer | Sardar Udham | Hindi | Costume Designer: Veera Kapur Ee | 50,000/- (Shared) |
| Best Make-up Artist | Gangubai Kathiawadi | Hindi | Make-up Artist: Preetisheel Singh D’souza | Rajat Kamal and |
| Rs. 50,000/- | ||||
| Best Music Direction | Pushpa (The Rise Part I) | Telugu | Music Director (Songs): | Rs. 50,000/- (each) |
| Devi Sri Prasad | ||||
| RRR | Telugu | Music Director (Background Score) : | ||
| M.M. Keeravaani | ||||
| Best Lyrics | Konda Polam | Telugu | Lyricist: Chandrabose | Rs. 50,000/- |
| (Song: Dham Dham Dham) | ||||
| Special Jury Award | Shershaah | Hindi | Director: Vishnu Varadhan | Rs. 2,00,000/- |
| Best Special Effects | RRR | Telugu | Special Effects Creator: V Srinivas Mohan | Rs. 50,000/- |
| Best Choreography | RRR | Telugu | Choreographer: Prem Rakshith | Rs. 50,000/- |
| Best Action Direction Award (Stunt Choreography) | RRR | Telugu | Stunt Choreographer: King Soloman | Rs. 50,000/- |
| Rajat Kamal Award for Non–Feature Film | ||||
| Best Debut Non-Feature Film of a Director | Paanchika | Gujarathi | Producer: Shreya Kapadiya | Rs. 75,000/- each |
| Director: Ankit Kothari | ||||
| Best Anthropological Film | Fire on Edge | Tiwa Language | Producer: Risen North East. Non Govt. Organization | Rs. 50,000/- each |
| Director: Pranab Jyoti Deka | ||||
| Best Biographical Film/Historical Reconstruction/Compilation Film | Rukhu Matir Dukhu Majhi | Bengali | Producer & Director: Somnath Mondal | Rs. 50,000/- each (Shared) |
| Beyond Blast | Manipuri | Producer: Luwang Apokpa Mamikon | ||
| Director: Saikhom Ratan | ||||
| Best Arts Film | T.N. Krishnan Bow Strings to Divine | English | Producer: NFDC | Rs. 50,000/- each |
| Director: V. Packirisamy | ||||
| Best Science & Technology Film | Ethos of Darkness | (English-Hindi-Bengali) | Producer: Sri Ganesh Productions | Rs. 50,000/- each |
| Director: Avijit Banerjee | ||||
| Best Promotional Film (To Cover Tourism, Exports, Crafts, Industry, etc.) | Endangered Heritage | English | Producer: Baba Cinemas | Rs. 50,000/- each |
| ‘Warli Art’ | Director: Hemant Verma | |||
| Best Environment Film Including Agriculture | Munnam Valavu | Malayalam | Producer: Sree Gokulam Movies | Rs. 50,000/- each |
| Director: R S Pradeep | ||||
| Best Film on Social Issues | Mithu Di | Hindi | Producer & Director: Asim Kumar Sinha | Rs. 50,000/- each (Shared) |
| Three Two One | Hindi | Producer: FTII | ||
| Director: Himanshu Prajapati | ||||
| Best Educational Film | Sirpigalin Sirpangal | Tamil | Producer: KKV Media Venture | Rs. 50,000/- each |
| Director: B Lenin | ||||
| Best Exploration / Adventure Film (To Include Sports) | Ayushman | English, Kannada | Producer: Mathew Varghese, Dinesh Rajkumar N, Naveen Francis | Rs. 50,000/- each |
| Director: Jacob Varghese | ||||
| Best Investigative Film | Looking For Challan | English | Producer: IGNCA | Rs. 50,000/- each |
| Director: Bappa Ray | ||||
| Best Animation Film | Kandittundu | Malayalam | Producer: Studio Eeksaurus Productions Pvt.Ltd | Rs. 50,000/- each |
| Director: Adithi Krishnadas | ||||
| Special Jury Award | Rekha | Marathi Film | Director: Shekhar Bapu Rankhambe | Rs. 1,00,000/- each |
| Best Short Fiction Film | Dal Bhat | Gujarati | Producer: Nemil Shah | Rs. 50,000/- each |
| Director: Nemil Shah | ||||
| Best Film on Family Values | Chand Saanse | Hindi | Producer: Chandrakant Kulkarni | Rs. 50,000/- each |
| Director: Pratima Joshi | ||||
| Best Cinematography | Pataal – Tee | Bhotiya | Cinematographer: Bittu Rawat | Rs. 50,000/- each |
| Best Audiography (Re-recordist of the Final Mixed Track) | Ek Tha Gaon | (Garhwali & Hindi) | Re-recordist (final mixed track): Unni krishnan | Rs. 50,000/- |
| Best Production Sound Recordist (Location/Sync Sound) | Meen Raag | Rajasthani | Production sound recordist: Suruchi Sharma | Rs. 50,000/- |
| Best Editing | If Memory Serves Me Right | English | Editor: Abhro Banerjee | Rs. 50,000/- |
| Best Music Direction | Succelent | Hindi, English, Marathi | Music Director: Ishaan Divecha | Rs. 50,000/- |
| Best Narration/Voice Over | Hathibondhu | (English Partly Assamese) | Voice Over: Kulada Kumar Bhattacharjee | Rs. 50,000/- |
Best Feature Film in each of the language specified in the Schedule VIII of the Constitution:
All the awards below are given under Rajat Kamal category.
| Category of Award | Title Of The Film | Awardee | Medal & Cash Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Assamese Film | Anur (Eyes on the Sunshine) | Producer: Gopendra Mohan Das Director: Monjul Baruah |
Rs. 1,00,000/- (each) |
| Best Bengali Film | Kalkokkho – House of Time | Producer: Aurora Film Corporation Pvt.Ltd Director: Rajdeep Paul & Sarmistha Maiti |
Rs. 1,00,000/- (each) |
| Best Hindi Film | Sardar Udham (Hindi) |
Producer: Kino works LLP
Director: Sujit Sircar |
Rs. 1,00,000/- (each) |
| Best Gujarati Film | Last Film Show (Chhello Show) |
Producer: Jugaad Motion Pictures Director: Pan Nalin |
Rs. 1,00,000/- (each) |
| Best Kannada Film | 777 Charlie | Producer: Parmvah Studios Pvt.Ltd Director: Kiranraj K |
Rs. 1,00,000/- (each) |
| Best Maithili Film | Samanantar (The Parallel) | Producer : Anirati Films Director: Niraj Kumar Mishra |
Rs. 1,00,000/- (each) |
| Best Marathi Film | Ekda Kay Zala | Producer : Gajavadana Showbox LLP Director: Saleel Shrinivas Kulkarni |
Rs. 1,00,000/- (each) |
| Best Malayalam Film | Home | Producer: Friday Film House Pvt.Ltd. Director: Rojin.P.Thomas |
Rs. 1,00,000/- (each) |
| Best Meiteilon Film | Eikhoigi Yum (Our Home) |
Producer: Chingsubam Sheetal Director: Mayanglambam Romi Meitei |
Rs. 1,00,000/- (each) |
| Best Odia Film | Pratikshya (The Wait) |
Producer: Amiya Patnaik Procutions Director: Anupam Patnaik |
Rs. 1,00,000/- (each) |
| Best Tamil Film | Kadaisi Vivasayi (The Last Farmer) |
Producer : Tribal Arts Director: M. Manikandan |
Rs. 1,00,000/- (each) |
| Best Telugu Film | Uppena (Wave) | Producer: Mythri Movie Makers Director: Sana Buchibabu |
Rs. 1,00,000/- (each) |
Best Feature Film in each of the languages other than those specified in Schedule VIII of the Constitution
Best Mishing Film: Boomba Ride (Assamese) .This movie Producer is Quarter Moon and productions Director is Biswajit Bora.
- It received Rajat Kamal award with Rs. 1,00,000/- (each).
Special Jury Mention Award – Feature Film:
All the awardee under this section will be awarded only with a certificate.
| Film | Language | Awardee |
|---|---|---|
| Kadaisi Vivasayi (The Last Farmer) | Tamil | Actor: Late shri Nallandi |
| Jhilli (Discards) | Bengali | Actors: Aranya Gupta & Bithan Biswas |
| Home | Malayalam | Actor: Indrans |
| Anur – Eyes on the Sunshine | Assamese | Actress: Jahanara Begum |
Special Mention – Non-Feature Film:
| Film | Language | Awardee |
|---|---|---|
| Baale Bangara | Kannada | Actor: Aniruddha Jatkar |
| Karuvarai | Tamil | Music Director: Srikanth Deva |
| The Healing Touch | English | Sweta Kumar Das |
| Ek Duaa | Hindi | Filmmaker: Ram Kamal Mukherjee |
Note: ‘Special Mention – Critic’ award under ‘Best Writing on Cinema’ category is given to Subramanya Badoor(Kannada language). He will be provided only with a certificate.
About National Film Award:
Established in 1954. Nargis Dutt and Uttam Kumar are the first actress and actor to get the Best Actress (then called Urvashi) and Best Actor (then called Bharat) respectively.
- These awards encourage the production of films of aesthetic & technical excellence and social relevance contributing to the understanding of cultures of different regions in cinematic form.
- The juries are appointed by The Directorate of Film Festivals in India under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
