Key points
- Shah Rukh Khan won Best Actor (shared) for Jawan his first National Award alongside Vikrant Massey for 12th Fail.
- Mohanlal received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for an illustrious four-decade career.
- 12th Fail won Best Feature Film; Kathal A Jackfruit Mystery won Best Hindi Film.
- Rani Mukerji won Best Actress for Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway.
- The Kerala Story took Best Director (Sudipto Sen) and Best Cinematography; Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani won Best Choreography.
New Delhi: The 71st National Film Awards ceremony was held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, with President Droupadi Murmu conferring the honours in a packed auditorium celebrating the finest films certified in 2023. The evening marked notable firsts, emotional tributes, and a strong showing across Hindi and South Indian cinema, underlining the awards’ pan-Indian ethos and rigorous jury process. The ceremony also spotlighted technicians and artisans whose craft powered some of the year’s most acclaimed films.
Top honours and major wins
- Best Feature Film: 12th Fail Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s acclaimed drama was recognized for its inspiring storytelling and grounded realism.
- Best Hindi Film: Kathal A Jackfruit Mystery Netflix’s satire led by Sanya Malhotra earned top honours in the language category.
- Dadasaheb Phalke Award: Mohanlal honoured for an extraordinary career spanning four decades across genres and generations.
- Best Actor (shared): Shah Rukh Khan (Jawan) and Vikrant Massey (12th Fail) a rare tie acknowledging two very different but impactful performances.
- Best Actress: Rani Mukerji (Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway) commended for a powerful portrayal in a real-life inspired legal-emotional drama.
Direction, craft, and popular appeal
- Best Director: Sudipto Sen (The Kerala Story) recognised for helming one of the year’s most-discussed films.
- Best Cinematography: The Kerala Story honouring visual storytelling and technical excellence.
- Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment: Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani Karan Johar’s multi-starrer celebrated for mainstream appeal.
- Best Feature Film Promoting National, Social and Environmental Values: Sam Bahadur acknowledged for its patriotic and social messaging.
Music and performance categories
- Best Female Playback Singer: Shilpa Rao (Chaleya, Jawan) for a chart-topping, emotive rendition that became a cultural earworm.
- Best Sound Design: Animal recognizing immersive and high-impact soundscapes in a big-scale Hindi production.
- Best Choreography: Dhindora Baje Re (Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani) Vaibhavi Merchant’s grand, classical-flavoured spectacle earned top honours.
Regional cinema standouts
- Best Telugu Film: Bhagavanth Kesari Nandamuri Balakrishna’s film led regional winners in the Telugu category.
- Best Tamil Film: Parking cited for its fresh voice and compelling narrative.
- Best Malayalam Film: Ullozhukku (Undercurrent) honoured for nuanced performances and storytelling.
- Best Gujarati Film: Vash also fetched a supporting acting honour for Janaki Bodiwala, underscoring the film’s broad acclaim.
- Additional language winners included Marathi, Bengali, Odia, Assamese, Punjabi, and Kannada categories, highlighting the diversity of India’s film cultures.
Notable individual recognitions
- Janaki Bodiwala won Best Supporting Actress for Vash, reflecting the film’s strong critical reception beyond its language category.
- Action, editing, lyrics, makeup, costume, and production design awards showcased deep technical talent across industries, with films like Hanu-Man, Pookkaalam, Balagam, 2018, and Sam Bahadur earning key craft honours.
What this year signifies
This edition balanced mainstream stardom with content-driven cinema
SRK’s milestone win, Vikrant Massey’s parallel recognition, and the ascendancy of films like 12th Fail and Kathal signal a harmonious embrace of both mass and merit. Strong regional representation and multiple technical wins for conversation-driving films reflect a maturing ecosystem that rewards craft, impact, and diversity in equal measure.
