ChristinTrickett at 18:26, 11 February 2026

2026-02-11T18:26:01Z

New page

{{Short description|1973 awards for Hindi cinema}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2018}}
{{Infobox film awards
| number = 20
| award = Filmfare Awards
| image =
| caption =
| date = 21 April 1973<ref>{{Cite book |title=...and Pran: A Biography |last=Reuben |first=Bunny |date=2005 |publisher=HarperCollins and [[Living Media]] |isbn=978-81-72234-66-9 |pages=265–267 }}</ref>
| site = Bombay
| preshow =
| host =
| producer =
| director =
| best_film = ''[[Be-Imaan]]''
| most_wins = ''Be-Imaan'' (7)
| most_nominations = ''[[Amar Prem]]'' & ''Be-Imaan'' (8)
| best_actor = [[Manoj Kumar]] for ''Be-Imaan''
| best_actress = [[Hema Malini]] for ''[[Seeta Aur Geeta]]''
| duration =
| network =
| last = 19th
| next = 21st
}}

The '''20th Filmfare Awards''' were held in 1973, awarding the films released in 1972.

''[[Amar Prem]]'' and ''[[Be-Imaan]]'' led the ceremony with 8 nominations, followed by [[Shor (film)|''Shor'']] with 7 nominations and ''[[Pakeezah]]'' with 5 nominations.

''Be-Imaan'' won 7 awards, including [[Filmfare Award for Best Film|Best Film]], [[Filmfare Award for Best Director|Best Director]] (for Sohanlal Kanwar), [[Filmfare Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]] (for [[Manoj Kumar]]) and [[Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]] (for [[Pran (actor)|Pran]]), thus becoming the most-awarded film at the ceremony.

[[Rajesh Khanna]] received dual nominations for Best Actor for his performances in ''Amar Prem'' and ''[[Dushmun]]'', but lost to Manoj Kumar who won the award for ''Be-Imaan''.

At the ceremony, [[Meena Kumari]] earned a then record-setting twelfth and final nomination for the [[Filmfare Award for Best Actress]] for her performance in the period musical romantic drama ''Pakeezah'' after her death in March 1972. Despite being highly favored to win the award, she controversially lost the award to [[Hema Malini]] who won her first and only award in the category for her comic dual role in the comedy-drama ''[[Seeta Aur Geeta]]''.

Pran, who won Best Supporting Actor for ''Be-Imaan,'' refused to accept the award, on the grounds that the [[Filmfare Award for Best Music Director|Best Music Director]] award should have gone to [[Ghulam Mohammed (composer)|Ghulam Mohammed]] for ''Pakeezah'', and not [[Shankar–Jaikishan|Shankar-Jaikishan]] for ''Be-Imaan''.

== Main Awards ==
[[File:Manoj Kumar at Esha Deol's wedding at ISCKON temple 10.jpg|alt=|thumb|150px|[[Manoj Kumar]] — Best Actor winner for ''[[Be-Imaan]]'']]
[[File:Hema Malini Starguild.jpg|alt=|thumb|150px|[[Hema Malini]] — Best Actress winner for ''[[Seeta Aur Geeta]]'']]
[[File:Pran.jpg|alt=|thumb|150px|[[Pran (actor)|Pran]] — Best Supporting Actor winner for ''[[Be-Imaan]]'']]
[[File:Zeenat Aman at Esha Deol's wedding reception 12.jpg|alt=|thumb|150px|[[Zeenat Aman]] — Best Supporting Actress winner for ''[[Hare Rama Hare Krishna (1971 film)|Hare Rama Hare Krishna]]'']]
[[File:Paintal.jpg|alt=|thumb|150px|[[Paintal (comedian)|Paintal]] — Best Comic Actor winner for ''[[Bawarchi]]'']]
[[File:Asha Bhosle - still 47160 crop.jpg|alt=|thumb|150px|[[Asha Bhosle]] — Best Playback singer winner for ''"[[Dum Maro Dum (song)|Dum Maro Dum]]" ([[Hare Rama Hare Krishna (1971 film)|Hare Rama Hare Krishna]])'']]

===Best Film===
''' ''[[Be-Imaan]]'' '''
*''[[Anubhav (1971 film)|Anubhav]]''
*''[[Pakeezah]]''

===Best Director===
''' ''Sohanlal Kanwar – [[Be-Imaan]]'' '''
*''[[Kamal Amrohi]] – [[Pakeezah]]''
*''[[Manoj Kumar]] – [[Shor (film)|Shor]]''

===Best Actor===
''' ''[[Manoj Kumar]] – [[Be-Imaan]]'' '''
*''[[Rajesh Khanna]] – [[Amar Prem]]''
*''Rajesh Khanna – [[Dushmun]]''<ref>{{cite web |last1=Dhirad |first1=Sandeep |title=Filmfare Nominees and Winner |url=http://deep750.googlepages.com/FilmfareAwards.pdf |website=deep750.googlepages.com |date=2006 |access-date=24 August 2020 |archive-date=12 June 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090612065210/http://deep750.googlepages.com/FilmfareAwards.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Best Actress===
''' ''[[Hema Malini]] – [[Seeta Aur Geeta]]'' '''
*''[[Meena Kumari]] – [[Pakeezah]]''
*''[[Raakhee]] – [[Aankhon Aankhon Mein]]''

===Best Supporting Actor===
''' ''[[Pran (actor)|Pran]] – [[Be-Imaan]]'' '''
*''[[Premnath]] – [[Shor (film)|Shor]]''

===Best Supporting Actress===
''' ''[[Zeenat Aman]] – [[Hare Rama Hare Krishna (1971 film)|Hare Rama Hare Krishna]]'' '''
*''[[Bindu (actress)|Bindu]] – [[Dastaan (1972 film)|Dastaan]]''
*''[[Nazima]] – [[Be-Imaan]]''

===Best Comic Actor===
''' ''[[Paintal (comedian)|Paintal]] – [[Bawarchi]]'' '''
*''[[Jagdeep]] – [[Bhai Ho To Aisa]]''
*''[[Mehmood Ali|Mehmood]] – [[Bombay to Goa (1972 film)|Bombay To Goa]]''

===Best Story===
''' ''[[Anubhav (1971 film)|Anubhav]] – [[Basu Chatterjee]]'' '''
*''[[Shor (film)|Shor]] – [[Manoj Kumar]]''

===Best Screenplay===
''' ''[[Amar Prem]] – [[Arabinda Mukhopadhyay]] '' '''

===Best Dialogue===
''' ''[[Amar Prem]] – Ramesh Pant '' '''

=== Best Music Director ===
''' ''[[Be-Imaan]] – [[Shankar–Jaikishan]]'' '''
*''[[Amar Prem]] – [[R. D. Burman]]''
*''[[Pakeezah]] – [[Ghulam Mohammed (composer)|Ghulam Mohammed]]''
*''[[Shor (film)|Shor]] – [[Laxmikant–Pyarelal]]''

===Best Lyricist===
''' ''[[Be-Imaan]] – [[Verma Malik]] for Jai Bolo Be-Imaan Ki'' '''
*''[[Amar Prem]] – [[Anand Bakshi]] for Chingari Koi Bhadke''
*''[[Shor (film)|Shor]] – [[Santosh Anand]] for Ek Pyaar Ka Nagma Hai''

===Best Playback Singer, Male===
''' ''[[Be-Imaan]] – [[Mukesh (singer)|Mukesh]] for Jai Bolo Be-Imaan Ki'' '''
*''[[Amar Prem]] – [[Kishore Kumar]] for Chingari Koi Bhadke''
*''[[Shor (film)|Shor]] – Mukesh for Ek Pyaar Ka Nagma Hai''

===Best Playback Singer, Female===
''' ''[[Hare Rama Hare Krishna (1971 film)|Hare Rama Hare Krishna]] – [[Asha Bhosle]] for Dum Maro Dum'' '''
*''[[Lal Patthar]] – Asha Bhosle for Suni Suni''
*''[[Lalkaar]] – Asha Bhosle for Maine Kahan Na Na Na''

===Best Art Direction===
''' ''[[Pakeezah]]'' '''

===Best Cinematography===
''' ''[[Seeta Aur Geeta]]'' '''

===Best Editing===
''' ''[[Shor (film)|Shor]]'' '''

===Best Sound===
''' ''[[Amar Prem]]'' '''

==Critics' Awards==
===Best Film===
''' ''[[Maya Darpan]]'' '''

===Best Documentary===
''' ''Nine Months to Freedom'' '''

==Controversy==
Meena Kumari not winning an award for her performance in ''[[Pakeezah]]'' stirred controversy at the 20th Filmfare Awards. Filmfare, however, defended their decision by stating that according to their rules, posthumous awards were not allowed then;<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bharatan |first=Raju |title=Naushadnama: The Life and Music of Naushad |title-link=Naushadnama |date=2013 |publisher=[[Hay House]] |isbn=978-93-81431-93-1 |location=New Delhi, India|pp=311–312}}</ref> ''Filmfare''{{'s}} editor [[B. K. Karanjia]] said both [[Ghulam Mohammed (composer)|Ghulam Mohammad]] (the music director of ''Pakeezah'') and [[Josef Wirsching]] (cinematographer) lost for the same reason.{{sfn|Reuben|2005|p=266}}

Years later, in an interview, veteran actress [[Rakhee Gulzar]] revealed that initially she was offered the award for Best actress which she declined, as she considered her performance to be mediocre as earlier, she was devoid of the award for her performance in ''[[Sharmilee]]''.<ref name="Awards Mixup">{{cite web |title=Shocked by Oscar mix-up? Bollywood film awards change winners last minute too |website=Bollywood Hungama|date=28 February 2017 |url=https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/features/shocked-oscar-mix-bollywood-film-awards-change-winners-last-minute/ |access-date=3 April 2024}}</ref>

==Biggest Winners==
*'' [[Be-Imaan]] – 7/8''
*'' [[Amar Prem]] – 3/8''
*'' [[Seeta Aur Geeta]] – 2/2''
*'' [[Hare Rama Hare Krishna (1971 film)|Hare Rama Hare Krishna]] – 2/2''
*''[[Shor (film)|Shor]] – 1/7''
*''[[Pakeezah]] – 1/5''

==See also==
* [[22nd Filmfare Awards]]
* [[21st Filmfare Awards]]
* [[Filmfare Awards]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
* https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000245/1973/
{{Filmfare Awards}}

[[Category:1972 film awards|Filmfare]]
[[Category:1973 in Indian cinema]]
[[Category:1973 controversies]]
[[Category:April 1973 in Asia]]
[[Category:1970s in Mumbai]]
[[Category:Filmfare Awards by year]]

20th Filmfare Awards - Revision history

ChristinTrickett at 18:26, 11 February 2026