National Film Awards 2023: The winners of the 69th National Film Awards 2023 were announced at the National Media Center in New Delhi ON 24th August’23 . The National Film Awards 2023 ceremony was an event during which the National Film Development Corporation of India presented its annual National Film Awards to honour the best films of 2021 in Indian cinema.
The 69th National Film Awards 2023 ceremony was originally slated to be held on 3 May 2022 but was postponed due to delays after the COVID-19 pandemic. The winners were announced on August 24, 2023, by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in a press conference.
National Film Awards 2023
Selection Process of the National Film Awards
The National Film Development Corporation of India invited online entries on 31 March 2023 with the acceptable last date for entries until 10 May 2023. Feature and Non-Feature Films certified by the Central Board of Film Certification between 1 January 2021, and 31 December 2021, were eligible for the film award categories. Books, critical studies, reviews or articles on cinema published in Indian newspapers, magazines, and journals between 1 January 2021, and 31 December 2021, were eligible for the best writing on cinema section. Entries of dubbed, revised or copied versions of a film or translation, abridgements, edited or annotated works and reprints were ineligible for the National Film Awards.
Allu Arjun was awarded for the Best Actor for the film Pushpa while the Best Actress Award was presented to Alia Bhatt and Kriti Sanon for their films Gangubai Kathiawadia and Mimi respectively. The Best Feature Film Award was presented to Rocketry: The Nambi Effect. The Kashmir Files won the Nargis Dutt Award for Best Film on National Integration.
Award & Cash Prize of the National Film Awards
The official name of the “National Film Awards” are as below for both featured films and non featured films ( Short Films made in any Indian language and certified by the Central Board of Film Certification as a documentary/newsreel/fiction are eligible for non-feature film section).
FEATURE FILMS
Swarna Kamal ( Golden Lotus Awards ): All the National Film Awards awardees are awarded with ‘Golden Lotus Award (Swarna Kamal)’, a certificate and cash prize.
| National Film Awards | Film | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash Prize |
| Best Feature Film | Rocketry: The Nambi Effect | Tamil | Director: R. Madhavan | ₹250,000 each |
| Hindi English | ||||
| Best Direction | Godavari | Marathi | Nikhil Mahajan | ₹250,000 |
| Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment | RRR | Telugu | Producer: D. V. V. Danayya | ₹200,000 each |
| Director: S. S. Rajamouli | ||||
| Best Children’s Film | Gandhi & Co. | Gujarati | Producer: MD Media Corp | ₹150,000 each |
| Director: Manish Saini | ||||
| Best Debut Film of a Director | Meppadiyan | Malayalam | Producer: Unni Mukundan | ₹125,000 each |
| Director: Vishnu Mohan |
Rajat Kamal ( Silver Lotus Award ): All the National Film Awards awardees are awarded with ‘Silver Lotus Award (Rajat Kamal)’, a certificate and cash prize.
| National Film Awards | Film | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash Prize |
| Best Feature Film on National Integration | The Kashmir Files | Hindi | Producer: Abhishek Agarwal Arts | ₹150,000 each |
| Director: Vivek Agnihotri | ||||
| Best Film on Environment Conservation/Preservation | Aavasavyuham | Malayalam | Producer: Krishand | ₹150,000 each |
| Director: Krishand | ||||
| Best Film on Social Issues | Anunaad – The Resonance | Assameese | Producer: Assam State Film (Finance & Development) Corporation Ltd. | ₹150,000 each |
| Director: Reema Borah | ||||
| Best Actor | Pushpa: The Rise | Telugu | Allu Arjun | ₹50,000 |
| Best Actress | Gangubai Kathiawadi | Hindi | Alia Bhatt | ₹50,000 each |
| Mimi | Hindi | Kriti Sanon | ||
| Best Supporting Actor | Mimi | Hindi | Pankaj Tripathi | ₹50,000 |
| Best Supporting Actress | The Kashmir Files | Hindi | Pallavi Joshi | ₹50,000 |
| Best Child Artist | Chhello Show | Gujarati | Bhavin Rabari | ₹50,000 |
| Best Male Playback Singer | RRR | Telugu | Kaala Bhairava (“Komuram Bheemudo”) | ₹50,000 |
| Best Female Playback Singer | Iravin Nizhal | Tamil | Shreya Goshal (“Maayava Chaayava”) | ₹50,000 |
| Best Cinematography | Sardar Udham | Hindi | Avik Mukhopadhyay | ₹50,000 |
| Best Screenplay | Nayattu | Malayalam | Shahi Kabir | ₹50,000 |
| • Screenplay Writer (Original) | ||||
| Best Screenplay | Gangubai Kathiawadi | Hindi | Sanjay Leela Bhansali | ₹50,000 |
| • Screenplay Writer (Adapted) | Utkarshini Vashishtha | |||
| Best Screenplay | Gangubai Kathiawadi | Hindi | Utkarshini Vashishtha | ₹50,000 |
| • Dialogues | Prakash Kapadia | |||
| Best Audiography | Chavittu | Malayalam | Arun Asok | ₹50,000 |
| • Location Sound Recordist | K. P. Sood | |||
| Best Audiography | Jhilli | Bengali | Aneesh Basu | ₹50,000 |
| • Sound Designer | ||||
| Best Audiography | Sardar Udham | Hindi | Sinoy Joseph | ₹50,000 |
| • Re-recordist of the Final Mixed Track | ||||
| Best Music Direction | Pushpa: The Rise | Telugu | Devi Sri Prasad | ₹50,000 |
| • Songs | ||||
| Best Music Direction | RRR | Telugu | M. M. Keeravani | ₹50,000 |
| • Background Score | ||||
| Best Editing | Gangubai Kathiawadi | Hindi | Sanjay Leela Bhansali | ₹50,000 |
| Best Production Design | Sardar Udham | Hindi | Dmitri Malich-Konkov | ₹50,000 |
| Mansi Dhruv Mehta | ||||
| Best Costume Design | Sardar Udham | Hindi | Veera Kapur Ee | ₹50,000 |
| Best Make-up Artist | Gangubai Kathiawadi | Hindi | Preetishsheel Singh D’Souza | ₹50,000 |
| Best Lyrics | Konda Polam | Telugu | Chandrabose (“Dham Dham Dham”) | ₹50,000 |
| Best Special Effects | RRR | Telugu | V. Srinivas Mohan | ₹50,000 |
| Best Choreography | RRR | Telugu | Prem Rakshith (“Naatu Naatu”) | ₹50,000 |
| Best Stunt Choreographer | RRR | Telugu | King Soloman | ₹50,000 |
| Special Jury Award | Shershaah | Hindi | Vishnuvardhan | ₹2,00,000 |
Regional Awards ( Producers and Directors of best films in the regional languages of India ): Cash Prize
| National Film Awards | Film | Awardee(s) | Cash Prize | |
| Producer | Director | |||
| Best Feature Film in Assamese | Anur | Gopendra Mohan Das | Monjul Baruah | ₹1,00,000 each |
| Best Feature Film in Bengali | Kalkokkho | Anjan Bose | Rajdeep Paul, Sarmistha Maiti | ₹1,00,000 each |
| Best Feature Film in Gujarati | Chhello Show | Pan Nalin, Dheer Momaya, Siddharth Roy Kapur, Marc Duale | Pan Nalin | ₹1,00,000 each |
| Best Feature Film in Hindi | Sardar Udham | Ronnie Lahiri, Sheel Kumar | Shoojit Sircar | ₹1,00,000 each |
| Best Feature Film in Kannada | 777 Charlie | G. S. Gupta, Rakshit Shetty | Kiranraj K. | ₹1,00,000 each |
| Best Feature Film in Malayalam | Home | Vijay Babu | Rojin Thomas | ₹1,00,000 each |
| Best Feature Film in Marathi | Ekda Kaay Zala | Saleel Kulkarni, Siddharth Mahadevan, Soumil Shringarpure, Siddharth Khinvasara, Soumendu Kuber, Arundhati Datye, Anoop Nimkar, Nitin Prakash Vaidya | Saleel Kulkarni | ₹1,00,000 each |
| Best Feature Film in Odia | Pratikshya | Anupam Patnaik | Anupam Patnaik | ₹1,00,000 each |
| Best Feature Film in Tamil | Kadaisi Vivasayi | M. Manikandan | M. Manikandan | ₹1,00,000 each |
| Best Feature Film in Telugu | Uppena | Naveen Yerneni, Y. Ravi Shankar | Buchi Babu Sana | ₹1,00,000 each |
Best Feature Film ( In regional languages ): Cash Prize
| National Film Awards | Cash Prize |
| Best Feature Film in Haryanvi | ₹1,00,000 each |
| Best Feature Film in Tulu | ₹1,00,000 each |
| Best Feature Film in Dimasa | ₹1,00,000 each |
NON-FEATURE FILMS
Swarna Kamal ( Golden Lotus Awards ): All the National Film Awards awardees are awarded with ‘Golden Lotus Award (Swarna Kamal)’, a certificate and cash prize.
| National Film Awards | Film | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash Prize |
| Best Non-Feature Film | NA | NA | NA | ₹1,50,000 each |
| Best Director of Non-Feature Film | Smile Please | Hindi | Bakul Matiyani | ₹1,50,000 |
Rajat Kamal ( Silver Lotus Award ): All the National Film Awards awardees are awarded with ‘Silver Lotus Award (Rajat Kamal)’, a certificate and cash prize.
| National Film Awards | Film | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash Prize |
| Best Debut Non-Feature Film of A Director | Producer : | ₹ 75,000/- each | ||
| Best Biographical Film | Producer: Films Division | ₹ 50,000/- each | ||
| Director: Haobam Paban Kumar | ||||
| Best Arts / Cultural Film | Producer: | ₹ 50,000/- each | ||
| Director: | ||||
| Best Environment Film | Producer: | ₹ 50,000/- each | ||
| Director: | ||||
| Best Promotional Film | Producer: | ₹ 50,000/- each | ||
| Director: | ||||
| Best Film on Other Social Issues | Mithu Di Three Two One | Producer: | ₹150,000 each | |
| Director: | ||||
| Producer: | ||||
| Director: | ||||
| Best Educational Film | Sirpigalin Sirpangal | Tamil | Producer: KKV Media Venture | ₹ 50,000/- each |
| Director: B. Lenin | ||||
| Best Ethnographic Film | Producer: | ₹ 50,000/- each | ||
| Director: | ||||
| Best Exploration Film | Ayushman | English | Producer: Mathew Varghese | ₹50,000/- each |
| Kannada | Dinesh Rajkumar N. | |||
| Naveen Francis | ||||
| Director: Jacob Varghese | ||||
| Best Investigative Film | Looking for Challan | English | Producer: IGNCA | ₹50,000/- each |
| Director: Bappa Ray | ||||
| Best Animation Film | Kandittundu | Malayalam | Producer: Studio Eeksaurus Productions Pvt. Ltd. | ₹50,000/- |
| Director: Adithi Krishnadas | ||||
| Best Short Fiction Film | Dal Bhat | Gujarati | Producer & Director: Nemil Shah | ₹50,000/- each |
| Best Film on Family Values | Chand Saanse | Hindi | Producer: Chandrakant Kulkarni | ₹50,000/- each |
| Director: Pratima Joshi | ||||
| Best Cinematography | Pataal-Tee | Bhotiya | Bittu Rawat | ₹50,000/- each |
| Best Audiography | Ek Tha Gaon | Garhwali | Re-recordist: Unni Krishnan | ₹50,000/- |
| Hindi | ||||
| Best Location Sound Recordist (Location/Sync Sound) | Meen Raag | Rajasthani | Production Sound Recordist: Suruchi Sharma | ₹50,000/- |
| Best Editing | If Memory Serves Me Right | English | Abhro Banerjee | ₹50,000/- |
| Best Music Direction | Succulent | Hindi | Ishaan Divecha | ₹50,000/- |
| English | ||||
| Marathi | ||||
| Best Narration / Voice Over | Hati Bondhu | English | Kulada Kumar Bhattacharjee | ₹50,000/- |
| Assamese | ||||
| Special Jury Award | Rekha | Marathi | Shekhar Bapu Rankhambe | ₹1,00,000/- |
| Special Mention Award |
69th National Film Awards 2023 Winners List
| National Film Awards Category | Winner of National Film Awards 2023 |
| Best Feature Film | R Madhavan’s Rocketry: The Nambi Effect |
| Best Director | Nikhil Mahajan, Godavari |
| Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment | RRR |
| Nargis Dutt Award for Best 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 Gujarati 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 Odia 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 Makeup | Preetisheel Singh, Gangubai Kathiawadi |
| Best Stunt Choreography | King Soloman, RRR |
| Special Jury Award | Shershaah, Vishnuvardhan |
| Special Mention | 1. Late Shri Nallandi, Kadaisi Vivasayi 2. Aranya Gupta & Bithan Biswas, Jhilli 3. Indrans, Home 4. Jahanara Begum, Anur |
| Best Non-feature film | Ek Tha Gaon |
| Best Direction (Non-feature film) | Bakul Matiyani, Smile Please |
| Best Debut Non-Feature Film of a Director | Paanchika, Ankit Kothari |
| Best Anthropological Film | Fire on Edge |
| Best Biographical Film | Rukhu Matir Dukhu Majhi and Beyond Blast |
| Best Arts Films | T.N. Krishnan Bow Strings to Divine |
| Best Science & Technology Films | Ethos of Darkness |
| Best Promotional Film | Endangered Heritage ‘Warli Art’ |
| Best Environment Film (Non-feature film) | Munnam Valavu |
| Best Film on Social Issues (Non-feature film) | Mithu Di and Three Two One |
| Best Investigative Film | Looking For Challan |
| Best Exploration Film | Ayushman |
| Best Educational Film | Sirpigalin Sirpangal |
| Best Short Fiction Film | Dal Bhat |
| Best Animation Film | Kandittundu |
| Best Film on Family Values | Chand Saanse |
| Best Cinematography (Non-feature film) | Bittu Rawat, Pataal |
| Best Audiography (Re-recordist of the final mixed track) (Non-feature film) | Unni krishnan, Ek Tha Gaon |
| Best Production Sound Recordist (Location/Sync Sound) (Non-feature film) | Suruchi Sharma, Meen Raag |
| Best Editing (Non-feature film) | Abhro Banerjee, If Memory Serves Me Right |
| Best Music Direction (Non-feature film) | Ishaan Divecha, Succelent |
| Best Narration/Voice Over (Non-feature film) | Kulada Kumar Bhattacharjee, Hathibondhu |
| Special Mention (Non-feature film) | 1. Aniruddha Jatkar, Baale Bangara, 2. Srikanth Deva, Karuvarai, 3. Sweta Kumar Das, The Healing Touch, 4. Ram Kamal Mukherjee, Ek Duaa |
| Special Jury Award (Non-feature film) | Shekhar Bapu Rankhambe, Rekha |
| Best Book on Cinema | Music by Laxmikant Pyarelal: The Incredibly Melodious Journey by Rajiv Vijayakar |
| Best Film Critic | Purushothama Charyulu |
| Best Film Critic (Special Mention) | Subramanya Bandoor |
Shoojit Sircar’s biographical historical drama Sardar Udham won several awards at the 69th National Film Awards. Apart from being named the Best Hindi Film, it also bagged Best Cinematography (Avik Mukhopadhyay), Best Audiography (Sinoy Joseph), Best Production Design (Dmitrii Malich and Mansi Dhruv Mehta) and Best Costume Design (Veera Kapur Ee) awards.
National Film Awards
The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. The Awards were established and first presented in 1954. The award ceremony is held in New Delhi, India where the President of India presents the awards. The Government of India conceived the ceremony to honor films made across India, on a national scale, to encourage the furthering of Indian art and culture. Since 1973, the Indian Directorate of Film Festivals administers the ceremony.
The juries are appointed by the Directorate of Film Festivals in India. There are strict criteria as to whether a film is eligible for consideration by the jury panels. A list of rules is presented every year in a document of regulations known as the National Film Award Regulations. The criteria for eligibility contain many clauses. Among them, there is a direct requirement for the makers of a film, and particularly the director, to be Indian nationals.
Films entering the competition should be produced in India, and in the case of co-production involving a foreign entity, there are as many as six conditions that should be fulfilled in order for the film to qualify. According to the criteria, in order to be eligible for consideration by the jury, a film should be certified by the Central Board of Film Certification between 1 January and 31 December. Whether a film is considered a feature film or a non-feature film shall be decided by the Feature Film jury. The eligibility list includes a section of rules determining which films shall not be eligible for entry in the competition.
The awards were first handed out in 1954 and were known as the ‘State Awards’. At the time, only best films in different regional languages were recognised and awarded. The awards for actors and technicians working on the films were first given in 1967. Nargis was the first actor to win Best Actress for her performance in Raat Aur Din. Uttam Kumar won the Best Actor award for Antony Firingee and Chiriyakhana in the same year.
Highest Award in the Field of Cinema in India
The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India’s highest award in the field of cinema. It is presented annually at the National Film Awards ceremony by the Directorate of Film Festivals, an organization set up by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The recipient is honoured for their “outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema” and is selected by a committee consisting of eminent personalities from the Indian film industry. The Dadasaheb Phalke Award comprises a Swarna Kamal (Golden Lotus) medallion, a shawl, and a cash prize of ₹1,000,000 (US$13,000).
DadaSaheb Phalke Awards popularly known as The Dada Saheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards 2023 were presented on Monday, February 20, 2023, at Taj Lands End in Mumbai.