The 42nd National Film Awards, presented by Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India to felicitate the best of Indian Cinema released in the year 1994.[1] Ceremony took place in 1995 and awards were given by then President of India, Shankar Dayal Sharma.
Awards
Awards were divided into feature films, non-feature films and books written on Indian cinema.
Lifetime Achievement Award
| Name of Award | Image | Awardee(s) | Awarded As | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dadasaheb Phalke Award | File:Dilip Kumar 2006.jpg | Dilip Kumar[2] | Actor | Swarna Kamal, Template:INR 1,00,000 and a Shawl |
Feature Films
Feature films were awarded at All India as well as regional level. For 42nd National Film Awards, a Bengali film, Unishe April won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film whereas a Tamil film, Kadhalan and a Malayalam film, Parinayam won the maximum number of awards (4). Following were the awards given in each category:[1]
All India Award
Following were the awards given:[1]
Golden Lotus Award
Official Name: Swarna Kamal[1]
All the awardees are awarded with 'Golden Lotus Award (Swarna Kamal)', a certificate and cash prize.
| Name of Award | Name of Film | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best Feature Film | Unishe April | Bengali | Producer: Renu Roy | Template:INR 50,000/- |
| Director: Rituparno Ghosh | Template:INR 25,000/- | |||
| Citation: For a complex and impeccable rendition of fragmenting family relationships in urban India. The bond between a mother and daughter is extended to a defined space and time, and a drama immaculately constructed. | ||||
| Best Debut Film of A Director | Mogha Mull | Tamil | Producer: J. Dharmambal Director: Gnana Rajasekaran |
Template:INR 25,000/- Each |
| Citation: For an able translation of a literary work of art, for integrating music with melodramatic narrative and for a cinematic simplicity matched with remarkable directorial control. | ||||
| Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment | Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! | Hindi | Producer: Rajshri Productions | Template:INR 40,000/- |
| Director: Sooraj R. Barjatya | Template:INR 20,000/- | |||
| Citation: For revolutionising mass entertainment in India with a family entertainer and a fantasy film that succeeds without recourse to familiar narrative idioms of violence. | ||||
| Best Children's Film | Kochaniyan | Malayalam | Producer: Bushura Shahudeen | Template:INR 30,000/- |
| Director: Sathieesh Vengannoor | Template:INR 15,000/- | |||
| Citation: For a simple but effective tale of a middle class Kerala family told through the experiences and dreams of a young boy. | ||||
| Abhay | Hindi | Producer: National Center of Films for Children and Young People | Template:INR 30,000/- | |
| Director: Annu Kapoor | Template:INR 15,000/- | |||
| Citation: For an entertaining film advocating humane love between a child and a ghost advocating a rational outlook to life. | ||||
| Best Direction | Xagoroloi Bohudoor | Assamese | Jahnu Barua | Template:INR 50,000/- |
| Citation: For capturing Assamese life and reality in an original format uniquely associated with the director, and for enriching the spectrum of Indian Cinema thereby. | ||||
Silver Lotus Award
Official Name: Rajat Kamal[1]
All the awardees are awarded with 'Silver Lotus Award (Rajat Kamal)', a certificate and cash prize.
| Name of Award | Name of Film | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best Feature Film on National Integration | Mukta | Marathi | Producer: Ashok B. Mhatre | Template:INR 30,000/- |
| Director: Jabbar Patel | Template:INR 15,000/- | |||
| Citation: For mapping a sharply defined dramatic style on to a canvas of national caste oppresion and for unversalising the alliances of the Indian Dalit people. | ||||
| Best Film on Family Welfare | Karuththamma | Tamil | Producer: Vetrivel Art Creations | Template:INR 30,000/- |
| Director: Bharathiraja | Template:INR 15,000/- | |||
| Citation: For extending the pressing social issue of female infanticide onto a melodrama spanning the canvas of rural Tamil Nadu, a dimension that is now uniquely Bharathiraja signature. | ||||
| Best Film on Other Social Issues | Parinayam | Malayalam | Producer: G. P. Vijayakumar | Template:INR 30,000/- |
| Director: Hariharan | Template:INR 15,000/- | |||
| Citation: For recreating a real incident in the social history of Kerala, thereby indicating the continued relevance of gender oppression in traditional caste-dominated society. | ||||
| Wheelchair | Bengali | Producer: NFDC | Template:INR 30,000/- | |
| Director: Tapan Sinha | Template:INR 15,000/- | |||
| Citation: For a positive rendition of the condition of handicapped people suggesting affirmative action. | ||||
| Best Film on Environment / Conservation / Preservation | Nirbachana | Oriya | Producer: NFDC and Doordarshan | Template:INR 30,000/- |
| Director: Biplab Ray Chowdhury | Template:INR 15,000/- | |||
| Citation: For a stunningly controlled and uniquely cinematic metaphor of rural India and impending environment catastrophe shown with compassion and satire. | ||||
| Best Actor | Krantiveer | Hindi | Nana Patekar | Template:INR 10,000/- |
| Citation: For his impressive portrayal of a man who lives on his own terms. He is able to rekindle in the common man the deep, hidden resource of strength that lies dormant in each one of us. | ||||
| Best Actress | Unishe April | Bengali | Debashree Roy | Template:INR 10,000/- |
| Citation: For her complete identification with character of lonely doctor. The wide range of emotion is portrayed in a most sensitive and controlled manner in this film. | ||||
| Best Supporting Actor | Drohkaal | Hindi | Ashish Vidyarthi | Template:INR 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For bringing credibility to his role with strength and total conviction. | ||||
| Nammavar | Tamil | Nagesh | ||
| Citation: For making heart break of a broken father come alive with dignity and poise. | ||||
| Best Supporting Actress | Mammo | Hindi | Surekha Sikri | Template:INR 10,000/- |
| Citation: For her portrayal of surrogate mother, underplayed with quite sensitivity and gentleness. | ||||
| Best Child Artist | Kotreshi Kanasu | Kannada | Vijay Raghavendra | Template:INR 10,000/- |
| Citation: For his portrayal of bright little boy who is a social outcast. He wins your heart with his soft and endearing mannerisms. | ||||
| Best Male Playback Singer | Template:•Kadhalan Template:Small Template:•Pavithra Template:Small |
Tamil | P. Unni Krishnan | Template:INR 10,000/- |
| Citation: For his range and masterly rendition of the songs of two Tamil films, demonstrating a rare professionalism and command over technique. | ||||
| Best Female Playback Singer | Karuththamma Template:Small |
Tamil | Swarnalatha | Template:INR 10,000/- |
| Citation: For her extraordinarily compassionate song upon which much of the crucial dramatic action in the film is enacted. | ||||
| Best Cinematography | Thenmavin Kombath | Malayalam | Cameraman: K. V. Anand Laboratory Processing: Gemini Color Lab, Madras |
Template:INR 15,000/- |
| Citation: In recognition of the outstanding cinematography executed with sincerity, imagination and flexibility. Fluid camera movements, praise compositions, and use of light are the highlights of this visual experience. | ||||
| Best Screenplay | Parinayam | Malayalam | M. T. Vasudevan Nair | Template:INR 10,000/- |
| Citation: For his masterly use of fiction in cinema, reconstructing pre-1940s Kerala through sharply defined characters and remarkable control over dialogue. | ||||
| Best Audiography | Kadhalan | Tamil | Template:*A. S. Laxmi Narayanan Template:*V. S. Murthy |
Template:INR 10,000/- |
| Citation: For combining numerous effects in multiple tracks and an often dazzling array of music, sound and dialogue with remarkable technical control. | ||||
| Best Editing | Kadhalan | Tamil | Template:*B. Lenin Template:* V. T. Vijayan |
Template:INR 10,000/- |
| Citation: For the sheer magic of an editing idiom, cut to perfect timing event at a breath taking pace, in sequences that often make the implausible a plausibility. | ||||
| Best Art Direction | Thenmavin Kombath | Malayalam | Sabu Cyril | Template:INR 10,000/- |
| Citation: For creating an appropriate space for a romantic fantasy in cinema-scope in tandem with the cinematography. | ||||
| Best Costume Design | Amodini | Bengali | Supriya Dasgupta | Template:INR 10,000/- |
| Citation: For an aesthetic recreation of 18th century costumes, evoking the traditions of Bengali painting and theatre. | ||||
| Best Music Direction | Template:•Parinayam Template:•Sukrutham |
Malayalam | Ravi (Bombay) | Template:INR 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For his melodious rendering of his tunes. The music in both the films exhibit originality and creatively highlights the entire mood of the two films, achieving musical harmony | ||||
| Sukrutham | Malayalam | Johnson | ||
| Citation: For scoring the background music. | ||||
| Best Lyrics | Template:•Karuththamma Template:Small Template:•Pavithra Template:Small |
Tamil | Vairamuthu | Template:INR 10,000/- |
| Citation: Through their lyrics, he is able to bring to the fore his rich repertory of poetic expression which sensitively enhances the mood of the films. | ||||
| Best Special Effects | Kadhalan | Tamil | Template:*C. Murugesh Template:*S. T. Venki |
Template:INR 10,000/- |
| Citation: In recognition of many spectacular sequences creatively engineered. | ||||
| Best Choreography | Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! | Hindi | Jay Borade | Template:INR 10,000/- |
| Citation: For a graceful and aesthetically pleasing choreography, contemporary and yet traditional in its adherence to Indian cultural practices. | ||||
| Special Jury Award | Param Vir Chakra | Hindi | Radhu Karmakar (Posthumously) (Cinematographer) | Template:INR 25,000/- Each |
| Citation: In appreciation of a lifetime achievement in creating some of the most memorable moments in Indian film history. | ||||
| Swaham | Malayalam | Shaji N. Karun (Director) | ||
| Citation: For one of the most outstanding directors of Indian cinema, for sensitively probing the vacuum created in a family, when its central pivot is lost in death. | ||||
| Special Mention | Nammavar | Tamil | Mahesh Mahadevan (Music director) | Certificate Only |
| Citation: For his unusual and innovative score, using sound effects as an integral part of his musical arrangement. | ||||
| Xagoroloi Bohudoor | Assamese | Bishnu Kharghoria (Actor) | ||
| Citation: For his poignant and memorable role for bringing alive the heartrending agony of a boatman and his grandson, who is not only deserted by his son, but also his life sustaining river – his only source of livelihood. | ||||
| Parinayam | Malayalam | S. Kumar (Cinematographer) | ||
| Citation: For recreating and bringing to life an ambiance and characters that help lend credibility to a difficult and complex scenario. Sensitively handled and a sustained performance where the camera and lights have been used as an extension of the creative story teller. | ||||
Regional Awards
The award is given to best film in the regional languages in India.[1]
| Name of Award | Name of Film | Awardee(s) | Cash Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Feature Film in Assamese | Xagoroloi Bohudoor | Producer: Sailadhar Baruah and Jahnu Barua | Template:INR 20,000/- |
| Director: Jahnu Barua | Template:INR 10,000/- | ||
| Citation: For the filmmaker's ability to tell a complex tale with minimal canvas, handling the medium with control, restraint and extraordinary sensitivity. | |||
| Best Feature Film in Bengali | Amidini | Producer: NFDC and Doordarshan | Template:INR 20,000/- |
| Director: Chidananda Dasgupta | Template:INR 10,000/- | ||
| Citation: For a stylised and innovative period rendition of complex social relations in 18th century Bengal, integrating performances with camera movements and mise en scene. | |||
| Best Feature Film in Hindi | Mammo | Producer: NFDC and Doordarshan | Template:INR 20,000/- |
| Director: Shyam Benegal | Template:INR 10,000/- | ||
| Citation: For a poignant narrative of a family set against the trauma of exiled people in past post partition India. | |||
| Best Feature Film in Kannada | Kotreshi Kanasu | Producer: G. Nandakumar | Template:INR 20,000/- |
| Director: Nagathihalli Chandrashekhar | Template:INR 10,000/- | ||
| Citation: For a simple but effective tale of a young harijan boy fighting cast justice in rural Karnataka. | |||
| Best Feature Film in Malayalam | Sukrutham | Producer: M. M. Ramachandran | Template:INR 20,000/- |
| Director: Hari Kumar | Template:INR 10,000/- | ||
| Citation: Against the backdrop of impending death, complex marital and social relationships are explored. | |||
| Best Feature Film in Manipuri | Mayophy Gee Macha | Producer: Thouyangba and Thoungamba | Template:INR 20,000/- |
| Director: Oken Amakcham | Template:INR 10,000/- | ||
| Citation: For a simple story of a rural life in Manipuri handled with a deft mastery over the medium. | |||
| Best Feature Film in Tamil | Nammavar | Producer: B. Venkatarama Reddy | Template:INR 20,000/- |
| Director: K. S. Sethumadhavan | Template:INR 10,000/- | ||
| Citation: For professionally assembled tale of a college professor who encounters student violence, marked by several impressive performances. | |||
Best Feature Film in Each of the Language Other Than Those Specified In the Schedule VIII of the Constitution
| Name of Award | Name of Film | Awardee(s) | Cash Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Feature Film in English | English, August | Producer: Anuradha Parikh | Template:INR 20,000/- |
| Director: Dev Benegal | Template:INR 10,000/- | ||
| Citation: For adapting a complex and highly applauded novel with a cinematic skill and mastery matching the original work, a translation unusual in contemporary Indian cinema. | |||
Non-Feature Films
Short Films made in any Indian language and certified by the Central Board of Film Certification as a documentary/newsreel/fiction are eligible for non-feature film section.
Golden Lotus Award
Official Name: Swarna Kamal[1]
All the awardees are awarded with 'Golden Lotus Award (Swarna Kamal)', a certificate and cash prize.
| Name of Award | Name of Film | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best Non-Feature Film | Rasayatra | Hindi and English | Producer: Interaction Video Communication | Template:INR 20,000/- Each |
| Director: Nandan Kudhyadi | Template:INR 15,000/- Each | |||
| Citation: For its sensitive and imaginative transposition of music, into a dignified cinematic expression. | ||||
Silver Lotus Award
Official Name: Rajat Kamal[1]
All the awardees are awarded with 'Silver Lotus Award (Rajat Kamal)' and cash prize.
| Name of Award | Name of Film | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best First Non-Feature Film | A Little War | Hindi | Producer: Film and Television Institute of India Director: Atanu Biswas |
Template:INR 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For a restrained performances that its camera elicits. | ||||
| Best Anthropological / Ethnographic Film | The Trapped | English | Producer: K. Jayachandran Director: O. K. Johnny |
Template:INR 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For choosing to focus on the exploitation, past and present, of a small tribe, without platitudinous sentimentality. | ||||
| Best Arts / Cultural Film | Painting In Time | English | Producer: Topshots Director: Sarbajit Sen |
Template:INR 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For using play of light to enter the surface of a culture, unobtrusively, allowing it to reveal its magical metaphysics. | ||||
| Best Scientific Film | Another Way of Learning | English | Producer: Comet Media Foundation Director: Chandita Mukherjee |
Template:INR 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For being at once precise and warm in its approach to teaching processes. | ||||
| Best Environment / Conservation / Preservation Film | Visuddha Vanangal | Malayalam | Producer: Kerala State Film Development Corporation Director: K. R. Mohanan |
Template:INR 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For its analytical clarity and rigorous research in addressing a specific ecological issue. | ||||
| Best Promotional Film | Blue Flames, Green Villages | English | Producer: National Afforestation and Eco-Development Board, Ministry of Environment and Forests Director: Ramesh Asher |
Template:INR 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For its competent presentation of a rural project, within its given brief. | ||||
| Best Historical Reconstruction / Compilation Film | Phalke Children | English | Producer: R. Krishna Mohan and Y. N. Engineer Director: Kamal Swaroop |
Template:INR 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For the film which, while documenting the life and work of the subject, critiques the iconocising approach to history. | ||||
| Best Film on Social Issues | Father, Son and Holy War (Part I – Trial by Fire, Part II – Hero Pharmacy) | Hindi and English | Producer: Anand Patwardhan Director: Anand Patwardhan |
Template:INR 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For its conviction, courage and relentless observation, tempered by a sharp sense of irony. | ||||
| Best Educational / Motivational / Instructional Film | News Magazine No. 268 (A) Plague – Curable and Preventable | Hindi | Producer: R. Krishna Mohan Director: Mahesh P. Sinha |
Template:INR 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For its simple, direct and clear communication about the threat of plague. | ||||
| Best Investigative Film | Father, Son and Holy War (Part I – Trial by Fire, Part II – Hero Pharmacy) | Hindi and English | Producer: Anand Patwardhan Director: Anand Patwardhan |
Template:INR 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For probing beyond the objective, in its pursuit of insights, allowing even the unexpected to suggest the oblique. | ||||
| Best Animation Film | Mahagiri | Hindi | Producer: Bhimsain Director: Kireet Animator: S. M. Hasan |
Template:INR 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For its playful wit, its liveliness of line and indigenous idiom. | ||||
| Best Short Fiction Film | Still Life | Hindi and English | Producer: Film and Television Institute of India Director: Subhadro Chowdhary |
Template:INR 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For its stylistic sophistication in dealing with the chaos of painful experience. | ||||
| Best Film on Family Welfare | Clint | Malayalam and English | Producer: Shiva Kumar Director: Shiva Kumar |
Template:INR 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For setting up a new model of the essence of family welfare, through its honest documentation of factors impinging on a child's life. | ||||
| Best Cinematography | Rasayatra | Hindi and English | Cameraman: Anoop Jotwani Laboratory Processing: Vijay Color Lab, Madras |
Template:INR 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For his fastidious interpretation through lighting, and the fluidity of his camera operation. | ||||
| Best Audiography | Another Way of Learning | English | Indrajit Neogi and A. M. Padmanabhan | Template:INR 10,000/- |
| Citation: For together bringing about a quality of sound, which so enhances the acoustic, that the viewer becomes a participant. | ||||
| Best Editing | Rasayatra | Hindi and English | Paresh Kamdar | Template:INR 10,000/- |
| Citation: For the elegant pace with which he discovers spatial correlatives for the inherent musicality. | ||||
| Best Music Direction | The Myth to the Tree, The Serpent and the Mother | Malayalam | K. P. Udayabhanu | Template:INR 10,000/- |
| Citation: For his interesting juxtaposition of different strains of music and sound. | ||||
| Special Jury Award | Games We Played in My Youth | English | Soumitra Sarkar | Template:INR 10,000/- |
| Citation: For a refreshingly whimsical poem, which delights in the surprise of shifts and displacement. | ||||
| Special Mention | Of Tagore and Cinema | English | Arun Kumar Roy | Certificate Only |
| Citation: In acknowledgement of its archival value. | ||||
| The Story of Integration | English | Gautam Haldar | ||
| Citation: In acknowledgement of his painstaking attempt to bring its subject to life. | ||||
| Ormaynde Theerangalil | Malayalam | Kaviyoor Sivaprasad | ||
| Citation: In acknowledgement of his lyrical evocation of the passage of time. | ||||
Best Writing on Cinema
The awards aim at encouraging study and appreciation of cinema as an art form and dissemination of information and critical appreciation of this art-form through publication of books, articles, reviews etc.
Golden Lotus Award
Official Name: Swarna Kamal[1]
All the awardees are awarded with 'Golden Lotus Award (Swarna Kamal)' and cash prize.
| Name of Award | Name of Book | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best Book on Cinema | Abhinayam Anubhavam | Malayalam | Author: Bharath Gopi Publisher: P. Bhuvanesan |
Template:INR 15,000/- Each |
| Citation: For his introspective and self-analytical first person account. Abhinayam Anubhavam is serious and wistful at times, as the actor weaves and interesting picture of his interaction with cinema and his colleagues in the medium. The book is as unusual as it is revealing | ||||
| Best Film Critic | English | Rashmi Doraiswamy | Template:INR 15,000/- | |
| Citation: For her perceptive and in-depth analysis of wide-ranging issues related to cinema, both in India and aboard. Her writing is not only well researched and informative but also represents a convincing point of view. | ||||
Awards not given
Following were the awards not given as no film was found to be suitable for the award:[1]
Template:Col start Template:Col 2
- Best Feature Film in Marathi
- Best Feature Film in Oriya
- Best Feature Film in Punjabi
- Best Feature Film in Telugu
- Best Non-Feature Film Direction
- Best Biographical Film
- Best Agricultural Film
- Best Exploration / Adventure Film