71st National Film Awards: 12th Fail Bags Best Film; Rani Mukerji Honoured With Best Actress; Full List of Winners Inside

Hyderabad: The winners of the 71st National Film Awards for the year 2023 were announced on Friday. The Jury had officially submitted the list of awardees to Union Information & Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in the presence of Minister of State L Murugan and Secretary of Ministry of Information & Broadcasting Sanjay Jaju in Delhi post which filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker along with other jury members announced the winners from the 15 categories.

The full list of winners is given below:

Feature Films

• Best Hindi Film: Kathal: A Jackfruit Mystery (Directed by: Yashowardhan Mishra)
• Best Telugu Film: Bhagavanth Kesari (I Don't Care) (Director: Anil Ravipudi)
• Best Marathi Film: Shyamchi Aai (Director: Sujay Sunil Dahake)
• Best Garo Film: Rimdogittanga (Rapture) Director: Dominic Megam Sangma
• Best Malayalam Film: Ullozhukku (Undercurrent) Director: Christo Tomy
• Best Music Direction: Music Director (Songs): Vaathi (Tamil)
• Music Director (Background Music): Animal (Hindi)
• Best Choreography Award: Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani (Hindi) (Choreographer: Vaibhavi Merchant)
• Best Cinematography: The Kerala Story (Hindi) Cinematographer: Prasantanu Mohapatra
• Best Actress in a Leading Role: Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway (Hindi) Actress: Rani Mukerji

Non Feature Films:

• Best Non-Feature Film goes to: Flowering Man (Hindi) (Director: Soumyajit Ghosh Dastidar)
• Best Non-Feature Film (upto 30 minutes): Giddh The Scavenger (Hindi) Director: Manish Saini
• Best Non-Feature Film Promoting Social And Environmental Values: The Silent Epidemic (Hindi) (Director: Akshat Gupta)
• Best Cinematography: Little Wings (Tamil)
• Special Mention (Non-Feature Films): Nekal - Chronicle of the Paddy Man And The Sea And Seven Villages

In one of the most sought after categories, Shah Rukh Khan got his first National Award along with Vikrant Massey. SRK won the award for Jawan, while Massey, as the buzz was, for 12th Fail. In the female category, Rani Mukerji bagged the best actress award for her role in Mrs. Chatterjee v/s Norway.

Last year, the Best Feature Film award went to Aattam, a Malayalam-language drama directed by Anand Ekarshi, which was praised for its storytelling and cinematic depth. The Kannada blockbuster Kantara won Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, adding to its critical and commercial success.

Rishab Shetty received the Best Actor award for his powerful performance in Kantara. The Best Actress award was shared by Nithya Menen and Manasi Parekh, recognising their outstanding work in their respective films. The award for Best Debut Film of a Director went to Fouja, a Haryanvi film that impressed the jury with its storytelling and direction.

According to the Directorate of Film Festivals of the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the National Film Awards "aim at encouraging the production of films of aesthetic and technical excellence and social relevance."