The 71st National Film Awards, presented by the National Film Development Corporation of India, were announced on 1 August 2025 by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in a press conference to honour the best of Indian cinema in 2023.[1][2][3] There were 332 entries in the feature film category, 115 in non-feature films, 27 books, and 16 critics’ submissions.[4] The winners along with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award recipient were felicitated by the President, Droupadi Murmu on 23 September 2025 at the Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.[5]
Selection process
The National Film Development Corporation of India invited online entries with the acceptable last date for entries until 18 September 2024.[6][7] Feature and Non-Feature Films certified by Central Board of Film Certification between 1 January 2023, and 31 December 2023, were eligible for the film award categories. Books, critical studies, reviews or articles on cinema published in Indian newspapers, magazines, and journals between 1 January 2023, and 31 December 2023, were eligible for the best writing on cinema section. Entries of dubbed, revised or copied versions of a film or translation, abridgements, edited or annotated works and reprints were ineligible for the awards.[8]
For the feature and non-feature Films sections, films in any Indian language, shot on 16 mm, 35 mm, a wider film gauge or a digital format, and released in cinemas, on video or digital formats for home viewing were eligible. Films were required to be certified as a feature film, documentary, short film, or animation film, by the Central Board of Film Certification.[9]
Dadasaheb Phalke Award
Introduced in 1969, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India's highest award in the field of cinema given to recognise the contributions of film personalities towards the development of Indian cinema and for distinguished contributions to the medium, its growth and promotion. The recipient is awarded with 'Golden Lotus Award' (Swarna Kamal), cash prize of Template:INRConvert, medallion and a shawl. The 2023 recipient is Mohanlal.[10][11]
A committee consisting three personalities from the Indian film industry was appointed to evaluate the award. Following were the jury members:[12]
- Jury Members
| Template:• Mithun Chakraborty |
| Template:• Shankar Mahadevan |
| Template:• Ashutosh Gowariker |
| Award | Image | Awardee(s) | Awarded As | Cash prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dadasaheb Phalke Award | File:Mohanlal Viswanathan BNC.jpg | Mohanlal | Actor | Swarna Kamal, Template:INRConvert, medallion and a shawl |
Feature Film
Jury
For the Feature Film section, six committees were formed based on the different geographic regions in India. The two-tier evaluation process included a central committee and five regional committees. The central committee, headed by the director Ashutosh Gowariker, included the heads of each regional committee and five other jury members. At regional level, each committee consisted of one chief and four members. The chief and one non-chief member of each regional committee were selected from outside that geographic region. The table below names the jury members for the central and regional committees:
Central Jury
| Template:•Ashutosh Gowariker (Chairperson) | |
| Template:•M N Swamy | Template:•Geeta M. Gurappa |
| Template:•Dr. V N Aditya | Template:•Aneesh Basu |
| Template:•Paresh Vora | Template:•Sushil Rajpal |
| Template:•Vivek Pratap | Template:•Pradeep Nair |
| Template:•Maniram Singh | Template:•Prakruti Mishra |
Northern Region: Template:Small
| Template:• Jose Antony Palackapillil (Head) | |
| Template:• Chethan Mundadi | Template:•Kamlesh Kumar Mishra |
| Template:• Niraj Kumar Mishra | Template:• Pramod Kumar |
Eastern Region: Template:Small
| Template:• Shivadhwaj Shetty (Head) | |
| Template:• Bobby Sarma Baruah | Template:•Oinam Doren |
| Template:• Sukumar Nandlal Jatani | Template:• Tushar Kanti Bandyopadhyay |
Western Region: Template:Small
| Template:• Tushar Hiranandani (Head) | |
| Template:• Chirantana Bhatt | Template:• Mandar Talauliker |
| Template:• Praveen Morchhale | Template:• Shivaji Lotan Patil |
Southern Region I: Template:Small
| Template:• Abhijeet Shirish Deshpande (Head) | |
| Template:• Manoj C. D. | Template:• Aparnaa Singh |
| Template:• Selvanarayanan I | Template:• S Rajasekharan |
Southern Region II: Template:Small
| Template:•Malay Ray (Head) | |
| Template:•Raghunandan B R | Template:• Runa Bhutda |
| Template:•Yakub Khader Gulvady | Template:• Satish Varma Mandapati |
Golden Lotus Award
All the awardees are awarded with 'Golden Lotus Award (Swarna Kamal)', a certificate and cash prize.
| Award | Film | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best Feature Film | 12th Fail | Hindi | Template:Ubl | ₹3,00,000 each |
| Best Debut Film of a Director | Aatmapamphlet | Marathi | Ashish Avinash Bende | ₹3,00,000 |
| Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment | Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani | Hindi | Template:Ubl | ₹3,00,000 each |
| Best Children's Film | Naal 2 | Marathi | Template:Ubl | ₹3,00,000 each |
| Best Film in AVGCTemplate:Efn Template:•Template:Small |
Hanu-Man | Telugu | Jetty Venkat Kumar | ₹3,00,000 |
| Best Film in AVGCTemplate:Efn Template:•Template:Small |
Template:Ubl | ₹3,00,000 each | ||
| Best Direction | The Kerala Story | Hindi | Sudipto Sen | ₹3,00,000 |
Silver Lotus Award
Official Name: Rajat Kamal
All the awardees are awarded with 'Silver Lotus Award (Rajat Kamal)', a certificate and cash prize.
Regional awards
All the awardees are awarded with Silver Lotus Award (Rajat Kamal), a certificate and cash prize.
| Award | Film | Awardee(s) | Cash prize | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Producer | Director | |||
| Best Assamese Feature Film | Rongatapu 1982 | BRC Cine Production | Adityam Saikia | ₹2,00,000 each |
| Best Bengali Feature Film | Deep Fridge | Colors of Dream Entertainment | Arjunn Dutta | ₹2,00,000 each |
| Best Gujarati Feature Film | Vash | Big Box Series Production and KS Entertainment | Krishnadev Yagnik | ₹2,00,000 each |
| Best Hindi Feature Film | Kathal | Netflix, Balaji Motion Pictures and Sikhya Entertainment | Yashowardhan Mishra | ₹2,00,000 each |
| Best Kannada Feature Film | Kandeelu – The Ray of Hope | Swastik Entertainment | Yeshoda Prakash Kottukathira | ₹2,00,000 each |
| Best Malayalam Feature Film | Ullozhukku | Unnilazer Ventures Pvt Ltd and MacGuffin Pictures | Christo Tomy | ₹2,00,000 each |
| Best Marathi Feature Film | Shyamchi Aai | Amruta Films | Sujay Dahake | ₹2,00,000 each |
| Best Odia Feature Film | Pushkara | Tarang Cine Productions | Subhransu Das | ₹2,00,000 each |
| Best Punjabi Feature Film | Godday Godday Chaa | VH Entertainment and Zee Studios | Vijay Kumar Arora | ₹2,00,000 each |
| Best Tamil Feature Film | Parking | Passion Studios and Soldiers Factory | Ramkumar Balakrishnan | ₹2,00,000 each |
| Best Telugu Feature Film | Bhagavanth Kesari | Shine Screens | Anil Ravipudi | ₹2,00,000 each |
| Award | Film | Awardee(s) | Cash prize | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Producer | Director | |||
| Best Garo Feature Film | Rimdogittanga | Anna Films, Uncombed Buddha and Joicy Studio | Dominic Sangma | ₹2,00,000 each |
| Best Tai Phake Feature Film | Pai Tang | Naba Kumar Bhuyan | Prabal Khaund | ₹2,00,000 each |
Special Mention
All the awardees are awarded with a certificate.
| Award | Film | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Special Mention | Animal | Hindi | M. R. Rajakrishnan (Sound Designer) | Certificate only |
Non-Feature Film
Non-feature length films made in any Indian language and certified by the Central Board of Film Certification as a documentary, short film, animation film etc are eligible for non-feature film section.
Jury
| Template:•P. Sheshadri (Chairperson) | |
| Template:•Pankaja Thakur | Template:•K. S. Selvaraj |
| Template:•Srishti Lakhera | Template:•Jaicheng Jai Dohutia |
| Template:•Atul Gangwar | Template:•Olivia Das |
Golden Lotus Award
Official Name: Swarna Kamal
All the awardees are awarded with 'Golden Lotus Award (Swarna Kamal)', a certificate and cash prize.
| Award | Film | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best Non-Feature Film | Flowering Man | Hindi | Template:Ubl | ₹3,00,000 each |
| Best Direction | The First Film | Hindi | Piyush Thakur | ₹3,00,000 |
| Best Debut Film of a Director | Mau: The Spirit Dreams of Cheraw | Mizo | Shilpika Bordoloi | ₹3,00,000 |
Silver Lotus Award
Official Name: Rajat Kamal
All the awardees are awarded with Silver Lotus Award (Rajat Kamal) and cash prize.
| Award | Film | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best Biographical / Historical Reconstruction / Compilation Film | Mo Bou, Mo Gaan | Odia | Template:Ubl | ₹2,00,000 shared |
| Lentina Ao – A Light on the Eastern Horizon | English | Template:Ubl | ||
| Best Arts / Cultural Film | Timeless Tamil Nadu | English | Template:Ubl | ₹2,00,000 shared |
| Best Documentary | God Vulture and Human | English, Hindi and Telugu | Template:Ubl | ₹2,00,000 each |
| Best Non Feature Film Promoting Social And Environmental Values | The Silent Epidemic | English | Template:Ubl | ₹2,00,000 each |
| Best Short Film | Giddh (The Scavenger) | Hindi | Template:Ubl | ₹2,00,000 each |
| Best Cinematography | Little Wings | Tamil | Saravanamaruthu Soundarapandi and Meenakshi Soman | ₹2,00,000 shared |
| Best Sound Design | Dhundhgiri Ke Phool | Hindi | Shubharun Sengupta | ₹2,00,000 |
| Best Editing | Moving Focus | English | Niladri Roy | ₹2,00,000 |
| Best Music Direction | The First Film | Hindi | Pranil Desai | ₹2,00,000 |
| Best Narration / Voice Over | The Sacred – Jack Exploring the Tree of Wishes | English | Harikrishnan S | ₹2,00,000 |
| Best Script | Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know... | Kannada | Chidananda S Naik | ₹2,00,000 |
Special Mention
All the awardees are awarded with a certificate.
| Award | Film | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Special Mention | Nekal – Chronicle of The Paddy Man | Malayalam | Producer and director: M K Ramadas | Certificate only |
| The Sea & Seven Villages | Odia | Template:Ubl |
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.
Jury
| Template:•Gopalakrishna Pai (Chairperson) | |
| Template:•Ashok Palit | Template:•Vinod Anupam |
Golden Lotus Award
Official Name: Swarna Kamal
All the awardees are awarded with the Golden Lotus Award (Swarna Kamal) accompanied with a cash prize.
| Award | Awardee(s) | Language | Cash prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Film Critic | Utpal Datta | Assamese | ₹1,00,000 |
Controversies
Backlash over The Kerala Story awards
Shortly after The Kerala Story received the Best Director and Best Cinematography awards, the decision drew significant criticism.[13] Kerala's Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan condemned the decision as a "grave insult" to the state, accusing the film of spreading "misinformation" and legitimizing a "divisive ideology," while Opposition Leader V. D. Satheesan alleged that the awards were being used to further a political "hate campaign".[14][15] State ministers Saji Cherian, K. N. Balagopal, V. Sivankutty, and P. A. Mohammed Riyas similarly described the decision as an attempt to malign Kerala.[16][17][18] Congress MP K. C. Venugopal criticised the decision, calling the film undeserving and accusing it of promoting a "rotten agenda".[19] Jury member Pradeep Nair also dissented, calling the film "propaganda," and several media outlets noted that the awards were conferred despite longstanding allegations of exaggerated and fictionalized depictions of conversions and ISIS recruitment in Kerala.[20][21][22][23] The Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) Student’s Association condemned the decision, denouncing the film as "majoritarian propaganda with a hate‑filled agenda disguised as cinema".[24] Veteran actress Ranjini criticised the decision, calling it a "fabricated story" and remarked that honouring it "tarnishes" the sanctity of the awards.[25] Similarly, actress Fara Shibla also criticised the decision, accusing the film of "misrepresenting" Kerala’s culture.[26] In response, jury chairperson and filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker defended the decision, stating the film addressed a "difficult topic" with "clarity" and demonstrated strong visual execution.[27][28]
Urvashi Press Release
Actress Urvashi, who received the Best Supporting Actress award for her performance in Malayalam film Ullozhukku, expressed dissatisfaction, stating she believed her role qualified for the Best Actress category and called for greater transparency in the jury’s selection process. She also condemned the jury's rejection towards the crew of Aadu Jeevitham especially Prithviraj Sukumaran's performance who was the front-runner for the Year's Best Actor award.[29][30]
References
- ↑ 71st National Film Awards: Vikrant Massey Bags Best Actor For 12th Fail; All Winners Announced. News18. Retrieved 2025-08-01.
- ↑ 71st National Film Awards 2025 Live Updates: Shah Rukh Khan, Rani Mukerji win first National Awards; Vikrant Massey and 12th Fail bag trophies. The Indian Express(2025-08-01). Retrieved 2025-08-01.
- ↑ Shah Rukh Khan, Vikrant Massey and Rani Mukerji Win Acting Honors as '12th Fail' Named Best Film at India's National Awards. Variety(1 August 2025). Retrieved 1 August 2025.
- ↑ 71st National Film Awards for the year 2023 announced. Press Information Bureau(1 August 2025). Retrieved 3 August 2025.
- ↑ EXCLUSIVE: 71st National Film Awards to be held on September 23 in Delhi; Shah Rukh Khan, Vikrant Massey, Rani Mukerji and other winners expected to attend. Bollywood Hungama(11 September 2025). Retrieved 11 September 2025.
- ↑ 71st NATIONAL FILM AWARDS 2023.
- ↑ Template:Cite InstagramTemplate:Cbignore
- ↑ Indira Gandhi, Nargis Dutt's names dropped from National Film Awards categories. India Today(13 February 2024). Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ↑ 71st National Film Awards: Best Actor, Best Film and more. Full winners' list here(1 August 2025).
- ↑ Malayalam actor Mohanlal to be conferred Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2023. The Hindu(2025-09-20). Retrieved 2025-09-20.
- ↑ Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2023: Mohanlal reacts to win; says 'This is a major honour for me and for Malayalam cinema'. The Times of India(2025-09-20). Retrieved 2025-09-20.
- ↑ Mohanlal to be honoured with Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2023 during 71st National awards. Press Information Bureau(21 September 2025). Retrieved 21 September 2025.
- ↑ Award for The Kerala Story invites a storm of criticism. The Hindu(1 August 2025). Retrieved 2 August 2025.
- ↑ ""Gravely Insulted": P Vijayan On National Award For 'The Kerala Story'". NDTV(1 August 2025). Retrieved 2 August 2025.
- ↑ Kerala CM, Opposition slam National Award for 'The Kerala Story', call it a 'communal propaganda tool'. The New Indian Express(1 August 2025). Retrieved 2 August 2025.
- ↑ Kerala Minister Slams National Award for 'The Kerala Story', Alleges Political Bias. Outlook India(2 August 2025). Retrieved 2 August 2025.
- ↑ Kerala ministers slam National Award for 'The Kerala Story', call it Sangh agenda. The Week(2 August 2025). Retrieved 2 August 2025.
- ↑ Sangh Parivar's reward for defaming Kerala: CM, Ministers slam jury for honouring 'Kerala Story'. Onmanorama(1 August 2025). Retrieved 3 August 2025.
- ↑ National award to 'The Kerala Story' perfect example of how BJP promotes hate: Congress MP Venugopal. The Print(2 August 2025). Retrieved 3 August 2025.
- ↑ National Awards jury member Pradeep Nair says he objected to 'propaganda' film The Kerala Story, was dismissed by others. Hindustan Times. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
- ↑ The Kerala Story wins national awards despite accusations of misinformation. The News Minute(1 August 2025). Retrieved 2 August 2025.
- ↑ National Awards to 'The Kerala Story': Are the Awards worth fighting for — or fighting over — anymore?, Pillai, Pooja(5 August 2025). Retrieved 6 August 2025.
- ↑ How The Kerala Story Went From "The True Story Of 32,000 Females" To Become Just Fiction, Sharma, Radhika(6 August 2025). Retrieved 6 August 2025.
- ↑ FTII Student's Associations opposes National Award to The Kerala Story. The Indian Express(2 August 2025). Retrieved 2 August 2025.
- ↑ National Awards for The Kerala Story: Malayalam Actor Ranjini Slams Decision. Asianet News(3 August 2025). Retrieved 3 August 2025.
- ↑ Actor Fara Shibla slams National Film Awards for 'The Kerala Story': 'I strongly believe it does not...'. The Times of India(4 August 2025). Retrieved 4 August 2025.
- ↑ Exclusive: Ashutosh Gowariker On Why The Kerala Story Won Two National Awards Despite A Raging Controversy. NDTV(2 August 2025). Retrieved 2 August 2025.
- ↑ Sooraj Barjatya agrees to Rupali Ganguly's National Award demand for TV artistes: 'Actors still get breathers in films'. Hindustan Times(20 August 2025). Retrieved 20 August 2025.
- ↑ Urvashi questions criterion for choosing National Award for Best Actress. The Hindu(4 August 2025). Retrieved 5 August 2025.
- ↑ Urvashi slams National Award jury for giving her award in supporting category: 'This is not pension to silently accept'. Hindustan Times(4 August 2025). Retrieved 4 August 2025.
Notes