71st National Film Awards
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| 71st National Film Awards | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | Best of Indian cinema in 2023 |
| Awarded by | National Film Development Corporation of India |
| Presented by | President of India |
| Announced on | 1 August 2025 |
| Presented on | 23 September 2025 |
| Site | New Delhi |
| Official website | nfaindia |
| Highlights | |
| Best Feature Film | 12th Fail |
| Best Non-Feature Film | Flowering Man |
| Best Film Critic | Utpal Datta |
| Dadasaheb Phalke Award | Mohanlal |
| Most awards | Animal, Parking and Sam Bahadur (3) |
The 71st National Film Awards, presented by the National Film Development Corporation of India, were announced on 1 August 2025 by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in a press conference to honour the best of Indian cinema in 2023.[1][2][3] There were 332 entries in the feature film category, 115 in non-feature films, 27 books, and 16 critics’ submissions.[4] The winners along with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award recipient were felicitated by the President, Droupadi Murmu on 23 September 2025 at the Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.[5]
The National Film Development Corporation of India invited online entries with the acceptable last date for entries until 18 September 2024.[6][7] Feature and Non-Feature Films certified by Central Board of Film Certification between 1 January 2023, and 31 December 2023, 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 2023, and 31 December 2023, 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 awards.[8]
For the feature and non-feature Films sections, films in any Indian language, shot on 16 mm, 35 mm, a wider film gauge or a digital format, and released in cinemas, on video or digital formats for home viewing were eligible. Films were required to be certified as a feature film, documentary, short film, or animation film, by the Central Board of Film Certification.[9]
Dadasaheb Phalke Award
Introduced in 1969, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India's highest award in the field of cinema given to recognise the contributions of film personalities towards the development of Indian cinema and for distinguished contributions to the medium, its growth and promotion. The recipient is awarded with 'Golden Lotus Award' (Swarna Kamal), cash prize of ₹10 lakh (US$12,000), medallion and a shawl. The 2023 recipient is Mohanlal.[10][11]
A committee consisting three personalities from the Indian film industry was appointed to evaluate the award. Following were the jury members:[12]
- Jury Members
| • Mithun Chakraborty |
| • Shankar Mahadevan |
| • Ashutosh Gowariker |
| Award | Image | Awardee(s) | Awarded As | Cash prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dadasaheb Phalke Award |  |
Mohanlal | Actor | Swarna Kamal, ₹10 lakh (US$12,000), medallion and a shawl |
Feature Film
Jury
For the Feature Film section, six committees were formed based on the different geographic regions in India. The two-tier evaluation process included a central committee and five regional committees. The central committee, headed by the director Ashutosh Gowariker, included the heads of each regional committee and five other jury members. At regional level, each committee consisted of one chief and four members. The chief and one non-chief member of each regional committee were selected from outside that geographic region. The table below names the jury members for the central and regional committees:
Central Jury
| • Ashutosh Gowariker (Chairperson) | |
| • M N Swamy | • Geeta M. Gurappa |
| • Dr. V N Aditya | • Aneesh Basu |
| • Paresh Vora | • Sushil Rajpal |
| • Vivek Pratap | • Pradeep Nair |
| • Maniram Singh | • Prakruti Mishra |
Northern Region: (Bhojpuri, Dogri, English, Hindi, Punjabi, Rajasthani, Urdu)
| • Jose Antony Palackapillil (Head) | |
| • Chethan Mundadi | • Kamlesh Kumar Mishra |
| • Niraj Kumar Mishra | • Pramod Kumar |
Eastern Region: (Assamese, Bengali, Odia and North-Eastern languages)
| • Shivadhwaj Shetty (Head) | |
| • Bobby Sarma Baruah | • Oinam Doren |
| • Sukumar Nandlal Jatani | • Tushar Kanti Bandyopadhyay |
Western Region: (Gujarati, Konkani, Marathi)
| • Tushar Hiranandani (Head) | |
| • Chirantana Bhatt | • Mandar Talauliker |
| • Praveen Morchhale | • Shivaji Lotan Patil |
Southern Region I: (Malayalam, Tamil)
| • Abhijeet Shirish Deshpande (Head) | |
| • Manoj C. D. | • Aparnaa Singh |
| • Selvanarayanan I | • S Rajasekharan |
Southern Region II: (Kannada, Telugu)
| • Malay Ray (Head) | |
| • Raghunandan B R | • Runa Bhutda |
| • Yakub Khader Gulvady | • Satish Varma Mandapati |
Golden Lotus Award
All the awardees are awarded with 'Golden Lotus Award (Swarna Kamal)', a certificate and cash prize.
| Award | Film | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best Feature Film | 12th Fail | Hindi |
|
₹3,00,000 each |
| Best Debut Film of a Director | Aatmapamphlet | Marathi | Ashish Avinash Bende | ₹3,00,000 |
| Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment | Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani | Hindi |
|
₹3,00,000 each |
| Best Children's Film | Naal 2 | Marathi |
|
₹3,00,000 each |
| Best Film in AVGC[a] • Animator |
Hanu-Man | Telugu | Jetty Venkat Kumar | ₹3,00,000 |
| Best Film in AVGC[a] • Producer & Director |
|
₹3,00,000 each | ||
| Best Direction | The Kerala Story | Hindi | Sudipto Sen | ₹3,00,000 |
Silver Lotus Award
Official Name: Rajat Kamal
All the awardees are awarded with 'Silver Lotus Award (Rajat Kamal)', a certificate and cash prize.
| Award | Film | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best Film in AVGC[a] • VFX Supervisor |
Hanu-Man | Telugu | Jetty Venkat Kumar | ₹2,00,000 |
| Best Feature Film Promoting National, Social and Environmental Values | Sam Bahadur | Hindi |
|
₹2,00,000 each |
| Best Actor in a Leading Role | Jawan | Hindi | Shah Rukh Khan | ₹2,00,000 shared |
| 12th Fail | Hindi | Vikrant Massey | ||
| Best Actress in a Leading Role | Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway | Hindi | Rani Mukerji | ₹2,00,000 |
| Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Pookkaalam | Malayalam | Vijayaraghavan | ₹2,00,000 shared |
| Parking | Tamil | M. S. Bhaskar | ||
| Best Actress in a Supporting Role | Ullozhukku | Malayalam | Urvashi | ₹2,00,000 shared |
| Vash | Gujarati | Janki Bodiwala | ||
| Best Child Artist | Gandhi Tatha Chettu | Telugu | Sukriti Veni Bandreddi | ₹2,00,000 shared |
| Gypsy | Marathi | Kabir Khandare | ||
| Naal 2 | Marathi | Treesha Thosar | ||
| Shrinivas Pokale | ||||
| Bhargav Jagtap | ||||
| Best Male Playback Singer | Baby (Song: "Premistunna") | Telugu | P V N S Rohit | ₹2,00,000 |
| Best Female Playback Singer | Jawan (Song: "Chaleya") | Hindi | Shilpa Rao | ₹2,00,000 |
| Best Cinematography | The Kerala Story | Hindi | Prasantanu Mohapatra | ₹2,00,000 |
| Best Screenplay • Screenplay Writer (Original) |
Baby | Telugu | Sai Rajesh | ₹2,00,000 shared |
| Parking | Tamil | Ramkumar Balakrishnan | ||
| Best Screenplay • Dialogues |
Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai | Hindi | Deepak Kingrani | ₹2,00,000 |
| Best Sound Design | Animal | Hindi | Sachin Sudhakaran | ₹2,00,000 shared |
| Hariharan Muralidharan | ||||
| Best Editing | Pookkaalam | Malayalam | Midhun Murali | ₹2,00,000 |
| Best Production Design | 2018 | Malayalam | Mohandas | ₹2,00,000 |
| Best Costume Design | Sam Bahadur | Hindi | Sachin Lovalekar | ₹2,00,000 shared |
| Divvya Gambhir | ||||
| Nidhhi Gambhir | ||||
| Best Make-up | Sam Bahadur | Hindi | Shrikant Desai | ₹2,00,000 |
| Best Music Direction • Songs |
Vaathi | Tamil | G. V. Prakash Kumar | ₹2,00,000 |
| Best Music Direction • Background Music |
Animal | Hindi | Harshavardhan Rameshwar | ₹2,00,000 |
| Best Lyrics | Balagam (Song: "Ooru Palletooru") | Telugu | Kasarla Shyam | ₹2,00,000 |
| Best Choreography | Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (Song: "Dhindhora Baje Re") | Hindi | Vaibhavi Merchant | ₹2,00,000 |
| Best Stunt Choreography | Hanu-Man | Telugu | Nandu | ₹2,00,000 shared |
| Pruthvi Uppari |
Regional awards
All the awardees are awarded with Silver Lotus Award (Rajat Kamal), a certificate and cash prize.
| Award | Film | Awardee(s) | Cash prize | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Producer | Director | |||
| Best Assamese Feature Film | Rongatapu 1982 | BRC Cine Production | Adityam Saikia | ₹2,00,000 each |
| Best Bengali Feature Film | Deep Fridge | Colors of Dream Entertainment | Arjunn Dutta | ₹2,00,000 each |
| Best Gujarati Feature Film | Vash | Big Box Series Production and KS Entertainment | Krishnadev Yagnik | ₹2,00,000 each |
| Best Hindi Feature Film | Kathal | Netflix, Balaji Motion Pictures and Sikhya Entertainment | Yashowardhan Mishra | ₹2,00,000 each |
| Best Kannada Feature Film | Kandeelu – The Ray of Hope | Swastik Entertainment | Yeshoda Prakash Kottukathira | ₹2,00,000 each |
| Best Malayalam Feature Film | Ullozhukku | Unnilazer Ventures Pvt Ltd and MacGuffin Pictures | Christo Tomy | ₹2,00,000 each |
| Best Marathi Feature Film | Shyamchi Aai | Amruta Films | Sujay Dahake | ₹2,00,000 each |
| Best Odia Feature Film | Pushkara | Tarang Cine Productions | Subhransu Das | ₹2,00,000 each |
| Best Punjabi Feature Film | Godday Godday Chaa | VH Entertainment and Zee Studios | Vijay Kumar Arora | ₹2,00,000 each |
| Best Tamil Feature Film | Parking | Passion Studios and Soldiers Factory | Ramkumar Balakrishnan | ₹2,00,000 each |
| Best Telugu Feature Film | Bhagavanth Kesari | Shine Screens | Anil Ravipudi | ₹2,00,000 each |
| Award | Film | Awardee(s) | Cash prize | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Producer | Director | |||
| Best Garo Feature Film | Rimdogittanga | Anna Films, Uncombed Buddha and Joicy Studio | Dominic Sangma | ₹2,00,000 each |
| Best Tai Phake Feature Film | Pai Tang | Naba Kumar Bhuyan | Prabal Khaund | ₹2,00,000 each |
Special Mention
All the awardees are awarded with a certificate.
| Award | Film | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Special Mention | Animal | Hindi | M. R. Rajakrishnan (Sound Designer) | Certificate only |
Non-Feature Film
Non-feature length films made in any Indian language and certified by the Central Board of Film Certification as a documentary, short film, animation film etc are eligible for non-feature film section.
Jury
| • P. Sheshadri (Chairperson) | |
| • Pankaja Thakur | • K. S. Selvaraj |
| • Srishti Lakhera | • Jaicheng Jai Dohutia |
| • Atul Gangwar | • Olivia Das |
Golden Lotus Award
Official Name: Swarna Kamal
All the awardees are awarded with 'Golden Lotus Award (Swarna Kamal)', a certificate and cash prize.
| Award | Film | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best Non-Feature Film | Flowering Man | Hindi |
|
₹3,00,000 each |
| Best Direction | The First Film | Hindi | Piyush Thakur | ₹3,00,000 |
| Best Debut Film of a Director | Mau: The Spirit Dreams of Cheraw | Mizo | Shilpika Bordoloi | ₹3,00,000 |
Silver Lotus Award
Official Name: Rajat Kamal
All the awardees are awarded with Silver Lotus Award (Rajat Kamal) and cash prize.
| Award | Film | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best Biographical / Historical Reconstruction / Compilation Film | Mo Bou, Mo Gaan | Odia |
|
₹2,00,000 shared |
| Lentina Ao – A Light on the Eastern Horizon | English |
| ||
| Best Arts / Cultural Film | Timeless Tamil Nadu | English |
|
₹2,00,000 shared |
| Best Documentary | God Vulture and Human | English, Hindi and Telugu |
|
₹2,00,000 each |
| Best Non Feature Film Promoting Social And Environmental Values | The Silent Epidemic | English |
|
₹2,00,000 each |
| Best Short Film | Giddh (The Scavenger) | Hindi |
|
₹2,00,000 each |
| Best Cinematography | Little Wings | Tamil | Saravanamaruthu Soundarapandi and Meenakshi Soman | ₹2,00,000 shared |
| Best Sound Design | Dhundhgiri Ke Phool | Hindi | Shubharun Sengupta | ₹2,00,000 |
| Best Editing | Moving Focus | English | Niladri Roy | ₹2,00,000 |
| Best Music Direction | The First Film | Hindi | Pranil Desai | ₹2,00,000 |
| Best Narration / Voice Over | The Sacred – Jack Exploring the Tree of Wishes | English | Harikrishnan S | ₹2,00,000 |
| Best Script | Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know... | Kannada | Chidananda S Naik | ₹2,00,000 |
Special Mention
All the awardees are awarded with a certificate.
| Award | Film | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Special Mention | Nekal – Chronicle of The Paddy Man | Malayalam | Producer and director: M K Ramadas | Certificate only |
| The Sea & Seven Villages | Odia |
|
Best Writing on Cinema
The awards aim at encouraging study and appreciation of cinema as an art form and dissemination of information and critical appreciation of this art-form through publication of books, articles, reviews etc.
Jury
| • Gopalakrishna Pai (Chairperson) | |
| • Ashok Palit | • Vinod Anupam |
Golden Lotus Award
Official Name: Swarna Kamal
All the awardees are awarded with the Golden Lotus Award (Swarna Kamal) accompanied with a cash prize.
| Award | Awardee(s) | Language | Cash prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Film Critic | Utpal Datta | Assamese | ₹1,00,000 |
Controversies
Backlash over The Kerala Story awards
Shortly after The Kerala Story received the Best Director and Best Cinematography awards, the decision drew significant criticism.[13] Kerala's Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan condemned the decision as a "grave insult" to the state, accusing the film of spreading "misinformation" and legitimizing a "divisive ideology," while Opposition Leader V. D. Satheesan alleged that the awards were being used to further a political "hate campaign".[14][15] State ministers Saji Cherian, K. N. Balagopal, V. Sivankutty, and P. A. Mohammed Riyas similarly described the decision as an attempt to malign Kerala.[16][17][18] Congress MP K. C. Venugopal criticised the decision, calling the film undeserving and accusing it of promoting a "rotten agenda".[19] Jury member Pradeep Nair also dissented, calling the film "propaganda," and several media outlets noted that the awards were conferred despite longstanding allegations of exaggerated and fictionalized depictions of conversions and ISIS recruitment in Kerala.[20][21][22][23] The Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) Student’s Association condemned the decision, denouncing the film as "majoritarian propaganda with a hate‑filled agenda disguised as cinema".[24] Veteran actress Ranjini criticised the decision, calling it a "fabricated story" and remarked that honouring it "tarnishes" the sanctity of the awards.[25] Similarly, actress Fara Shibla also criticised the decision, accusing the film of "misrepresenting" Kerala’s culture.[26] In response, jury chairperson and filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker defended the decision, stating the film addressed a "difficult topic" with "clarity" and demonstrated strong visual execution.[27][28]
Urvashi Press Release
Actress Urvashi, who received the Best Supporting Actress award for her performance in Malayalam film Ullozhukku, expressed dissatisfaction, stating she believed her role qualified for the Best Actress category and called for greater transparency in the jury’s selection process. She also condemned the jury's rejection towards the crew of Aadu Jeevitham especially Prithviraj Sukumaran's performance who was the front-runner for the Year's Best Actor award.[29][30]