71st National Film Awards: The Indian film fraternity is gearing up for one of its biggest honours as the 71st National Film Awards are set to be conferred today. President Droupadi Murmu will present the awards, which celebrate the finest achievements in Indian cinema from 2023.
Originally delayed by two years, the prestigious ceremony remains one of the most anticipated events on the entertainment calendar.
When and where is the National Film Awards ceremony?
The awards function will take place on September 23, 2025, at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, beginning at 4 p.m. Viewers can tune in from 3 p.m. onwards on DD News’ official YouTube channel, which will stream the event live. The red carpet walk of the winners will commence an hour before the presentation ceremony begins.
Key winners of the National Film Awards 2023
The results were declared on August 1, and this year’s line-up features some of the most celebrated names across languages and genres.
Shah Rukh Khan (Jawan) and Vikrant Massey (12th Fail) jointly bagged the Best Actor title. Rani Mukerji took home Best Actress for her powerful performance in Mrs Chatterjee vs. Norway. Kathal – A Jackfruit Mystery was named Best Hindi Film, while Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s 12th Fail won Best Feature Film. Malayalam superstar Mohanlal received the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the highest honour in Indian cinema. Sudipto Sen’s The Kerala Story claimed awards for Best Direction and Best Cinematography.
Complete list of winners:
Best Hindi Film – Kathal – A Jackfruit Mystery
Best Feature Film – 12th Fail
Best Actor – Shah Rukh Khan (Jawan) and Vikrant Massey (12th Fail)
Best Actress – Rani Mukerji (Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway)
Dadasaheb Phalke Award – Mohanlal
Best Direction – The Kerala Story (Sudipto Sen)
Best Popular Film – Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani
Best Telugu Film – Bhagwanth Kesari
Best Gujarati Film – Vaash
Best Tamil Film – Parking
Best Kannada Film – The Ray of Hope
Best Female Playback Singer – Shilpa Rao (Chhaliya, Jawan)
Best Male Playback Singer – Premisthunna (Baby, Telugu)
Best Cinematography – The Kerala Story
Best Choreography – Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani (Dhindora Baaje Re)
Best Makeup and Costume Designer – Sam Bahadur
Special Mention – Animal (Re-recording Mixer – M R Radhakrishnan)
Best Sound Design – Animal (Hindi)
Best Film Critic – Utpal Dutta (Assam)
Best Action Direction – Hanu-Man (Telugu)
Best Lyrics – Balgam (The Group) (Telugu)
Non-Feature Categories:
Best Film Critic – Utpal Dutta
Best Documentary – God, Vulture and Human
Best Script – Sunflower Ver The First One To Know (Kannada)
Best Film – Nekal: Chronicle of the Paddy Man (Malayalam), The Sea and Seven Villages (Oriya)
Best Music Direction (The First Film) – Hindi
Best Editing (Movie Focus) – English