71st National Film Awards Winners

India’s top film awards for movies certified in 2023 were announced on August 1, 2025, at the National Media Centre in New Delhi. These awards honor excellence across screen performance, direction, technical excellence, and regional cinema.

Major Winners Across Categories

• Best Actor (tie):
  • Shah Rukh Khan for Jawan
  • Vikrant Massey for 12th Fail
• Best Actress: Rani Mukerji for Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway
• Best Feature Film: 12th Fail (Directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra)
• Best Director: Sudipto Sen for The Kerala Story

Regional & Popular Cinema

• Best Hindi Film: Kathal: A Jackfruit Mystery
• Best Popular Film for Entertainment: Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahaani
• Best Telugu Film: Bhagavanth Kesari
• Best Tamil Film: Parking
• Best Malayalam Film: Ullazhukku
• Best Gujarati Film: Vash
• Best Marathi Film: Shyamchi Aai

Special Mentions & Technical Awards

• Special Mention (Feature Film): Animal (re-recording mixer MR Radhakrishnan)
• Non-Feature Films:
  • Nekal – Chronicle of the Paddy Man received a Special Mention
• Best Action Direction: Hanu-Man (Telugu cinema)
• Best Choreography: Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahaani
• Best Music Direction: Vaathi (Tamil film) by GV Prakash Kumar
• Best Lyrics: The song Balagam
• Best Supporting Acting:
  • Best Supporting Actress: Urvashi (Ullazhukku) and Janki Bodiwala (Vash)
  • Best Supporting Actor: Vijayaraghavan (Pookalam, Malayalam) and Muthupettai Somu Bhaskar (Parking, Tamil)

Jan Jagran Darpan’s Perspective

These awards reflect the rich diversity of Indian cinema, highlighting both mainstream Bollywood stars and notable regional storytellers. Veteran actors like Shah Rukh Khan and Rani Mukerji stood shoulder to shoulder with performances in Gujarati, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, and Marathi cinema, underscoring India’s multi-regional strength.

The recognition of films like 12th Fail, Bhagavanth Kesari, and Ullazhukku shows the continued evolution of cinematic storytelling. Awards across areas like music, editing, sound, and action direction also show that India is advancing technically and artistically on global cinema’s stage.