“Cinema is the most beautiful fraud in the world.” — Jean-Luc Godard
The 71st National Film Awards celebrated the best of Indian cinema for the year 2023, recognizing excellence across feature films, non-feature films, and technical categories. The awards ceremony highlighted the diversity and creative brilliance of Indian filmmaking, spanning multiple languages and genres.
In a historic moment, Shah Rukh Khan won his first-ever National Film Award for Jawan, sharing the Best Actor honor with Vikrant Massey for 12th Fail. The latter also took home the prestigious Best Feature Film award, cementing its place as one of the most acclaimed films of the year.
🏆 Major Wins
The 71st National Film Awards witnessed some landmark decisions that celebrated both commercial and critical cinema:
- Best Actor (Joint Winners): Shah Rukh Khan won his first National Film Award for Jawan, while Vikrant Massey shared the honor for his role in 12th Fail
- Best Actress: Rani Mukerji received the award for Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway
- Best Film: 12th Fail was declared Best Feature Film
- Best Director: Sudipto Sen was honored for The Kerala Story
- Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment: Karan Johar’s Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani
- Best Film Promoting National and Social Values: Sam Bahadur
- Best Film in AVGC: HanuMan earned the Animation, VFX, Gaming and Comics award
SRK’s First National Award: Shah Rukh Khan, despite his three-decade career and countless hits, won his first National Film Award at the 71st edition for Jawan. This is a highly testable fact!
| Category | Winner | Film |
|---|---|---|
| Best Feature Film | — | 12th Fail |
| Best Actor (Joint) | Shah Rukh Khan | Jawan |
| Best Actor (Joint) | Vikrant Massey | 12th Fail |
| Best Actress | Rani Mukerji | Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway |
| Best Director | Sudipto Sen | The Kerala Story |
| Best Popular Film | — | Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani |
🎬 Regional Film Winners
The National Film Awards celebrated the rich linguistic diversity of Indian cinema by honoring the best films across 12 languages. This reflects the vibrant regional film industries that continue to produce exceptional content.
| Language | Best Film |
|---|---|
| Hindi | Kathal |
| Telugu | Bhagavanth Kesari |
| Tamil | Parking |
| Malayalam | Ullozhukku |
| Marathi | Shyamchi Aai |
| Kannada | Kandeelu |
| Punjabi | Godday Godday Chaa |
| Assamese | Rongatapu 1982 |
| Bengali | Deep Fridge |
| Gujarati | Vash |
| Odia | Pushkara |
Think of the National Film Awards as the “Olympics of Indian Cinema” — just as countries compete across various sports, Indian films compete across various languages. Each language category ensures regional cinema gets equal recognition alongside Bollywood.
🎭 Acting Awards: Supporting Roles & Child Artists
Beyond the leading roles, the 71st National Film Awards recognized outstanding performances in supporting categories and celebrated young talent:
- Best Supporting Actress: Urvashi won for Ullozhukku
- Best Supporting Actor (Joint):
- Janki Bodiwala (Vash)
- Vijayaraghavan (Pookalam)
- Muthupettai Somu Bhaskar (Parking)
- Best Child Artists:
- Sukriti Bandireddi Gandhi (Thatha Chettu)
- Kabir Khandare (Gypsy)
- Treesha Toshar, Shrinivas Pokale, Bhargav (Naal 2)
The three-way tie for Best Supporting Actor reflects the jury’s appreciation for regional cinema performances. All three winners came from non-Hindi films — Gujarati, Malayalam, and Tamil respectively.
🎥 Technical and Creative Awards
The technical categories showcased the craftsmanship that goes into making Indian cinema a visual and auditory spectacle. Films like Sam Bahadur, Animal, and HanuMan dominated these categories.
| Category | Winner(s) | Film |
|---|---|---|
| Best Action Direction | Nandu-Prudhvi | HanuMan |
| Best Choreography | Vaibhavi Merchant | Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani |
| Best Lyrics | Kasarla Shyam | “Ooru Palleturu” – Balagam |
| Best Music Direction | GV Prakash Kumar, Harshavardhan Rameshwar | Vaathi, Animal |
| Best Makeup | Shrikanth Desai | Sam Bahadur |
| Best Costume Design | Sachin, Divya, Nidhhi | Sam Bahadur |
| Best Production Design | Mohandas | 2018 |
| Best Editing | Midhun Murali | Pookkaalam |
| Best Sound Design | Sachin Sudhakaran, Hariharan | Animal |
| Best Cinematography | Prasanthanu Mohapatra | The Kerala Story |
| Best Playback Singer (Female) | Shilpa Rao | “Chaliya” – Jawan |
| Best Playback Singer (Male) | Rohit | “Premisthunna” – Baby |
Don’t confuse: Best Music Direction was shared between Vaathi (GV Prakash Kumar) and Animal (Harshavardhan Rameshwar). Similarly, Best Sound Design went to Animal, not to any other film. These joint awards are commonly tested!
📹 Non-Feature Film Winners
The non-feature category recognizes documentaries, short films, and animation that often address important social issues and artistic expressions:
- Best Documentary Film: God Vulture and Human
- Best Short Film: Giddh The Scavenger
- Best Non-Fiction Film: Flowering Man
- Best Debut Film (Non-Feature): The Spirit Dreams of Cheraw
- Best Non-Feature Film Promoting Social/Environmental Values: The Silent Epidemic
✨ Notable Highlights
Several films stood out for winning multiple awards across categories:
- The Kerala Story: Won awards for both Best Direction and Best Cinematography
- Naal 2: Named Best Children’s Film
- Sam Bahadur: Led in technical categories including Makeup and Costume Design
- HanuMan: Honored for Action Direction and AVGC quality
- 12th Fail: The ultimate winner — Best Feature Film + Best Actor (Vikrant Massey)
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12th Fail won the Best Feature Film award at the 71st National Film Awards.
Shah Rukh Khan won his first-ever National Film Award for Jawan at the 71st edition.
Sudipto Sen won Best Director for The Kerala Story.
Rani Mukerji won Best Actress for Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway, a film based on a true story.
HanuMan won the Best Film in AVGC (Animation, VFX, Gaming and Comics) category.
