71st National Film Awards 2023: Complete Winners List

The Government of India has announced the winners of the 71st National Film Awards 2023, celebrating excellence in Indian cinema across various languages and categories. The awards recognize outstanding achievements in filmmaking, with several notable wins and shared honors.

Major Award Winners

Best Feature Film

“12th Fail” claimed the prestigious National Award for Best Feature Film, marking a significant achievement for this Hindi drama.

Best Actor (Shared)

The Best Actor award was shared between two outstanding performances:

Shah Rukh Khan for “Jawan” (Hindi)
Vikrant Massey for “12th Fail” (Hindi)

Best Actress

Rani Mukerji won the Best Actress award for her powerful performance in “Mrs. Chatterjee vs. Norway” (Hindi).

Best Director

Sudipto Sen received the Best Director award for “The Kerala Story” (Hindi).

Regional Cinema Winners

Best Telugu Film

“Bhagavanth Kesari” starring Nandamuri Balakrishna won the award for Best Telugu Film.

Best Tamil Film

“Parking” was honored as the Best Tamil Film.

Technical Awards – Feature Films

Acting Categories

Best Supporting Actor:
- Vijay Raghavan (“Pookalam” – Malayalam)
- Muttupettai Somu Bhaskar (“Parking” – Tamil)
Best Supporting Actress:
- Urvashi (“Ullokku” – Malayalam)
- Janaki Bodiwala (“Vash” – Gujarati)

Child Artists

Best Child Artist:
- Sukruthi Veni (“Gandhitatha Chettu” – Telugu)
- Kabir Khandari (“Gypsy” – Marathi)
- Trisha Thosar, Srinivas Pokale, Bhargav Jagdeep (“Nal 2” – Marathi)

Music Awards

Best Male Playback Singer: PVNS Rohit (“Baby” – “Premisthunna…”)
Best Female Playback Singer: Shilpa Rao (“Jawan” – “Chaleya”)
Best Music Direction: GV Prakash Kumar (“Vaathi” – Tamil)
Best Background Score: Harshavardhan Rameshwar (“Animal” – Hindi)

Technical Excellence

Best Cinematography: Pasantu Mohapatro (“The Kerala Story” – Hindi)
Best Dialogues: Deepak Kingrani (“Sirf Ek Banda Kaafi Hai” – Hindi)
Best Original Screenplay:
- Ramkumar Balakrishnan (“Parking” – Tamil)
- Sai Rajesh Neelam (“Baby” – Telugu)
Best Sound Design: Sachin Sudhakaran, Hari Haran Murali Dharan (“Animal” – Hindi)
Best Editing: Midhun Murali (“Pookalam” – Malayalam)
Best Production Design: Mohandas (“2018” – Malayalam)
Best Costume Design: “Sam Bahadur” (Hindi)
Best Makeup: Shrikant Desai (“Sam Bahadur” – Hindi)

Special Categories

Special Recognition

Best Popular Film: “Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani” (Hindi)
Best Film on National Integration and Social Values: “Sam Bahadur” (Hindi)
Best Debut Director: Ashish Bende (“Atmapamphlet” – Marathi)
Best Children’s Film: “Nal” (Marathi)
Best Animation/Visual Effects Film: “Hanuman” (Telugu)
Best Film Critic Award: Utpal Datta (Assamese)

Non-Feature Films Category

The awards also recognized excellence in documentary and short films:

Best Non-Feature Films

Best Non-Feature Film: “Flowering Man” (Hindi)
Best Direction: “The First Film” (Hindi)
Best Cinematography: “Little Wings” (Tamil)
Best Editing: “Moving Focus” (English)
Best Sound Design: “Dundagiri Ke Phool” (Hindi)
Best Music Direction: “The First Film” (Hindi)
Best Voice Over: “The Sacred Jack – Exploring the Trees of Wishes” (English)
Best Script: “Sun Flowers Were the First Ones to Know” (Kannada)

Specialized Categories

Best Arts/Culture Film: “Timeless Tamil Nadu” (English)
Best Biographical Film:
- “Maa Baavu, Maa Gaavu” (Odia)
- “Lentino Ovo A Light on the Eastern Horizon” (English)
Best Debut Director (Non-Feature): “Mav: The Spirit Dreams of Chera” (Mizo)

Special Mentions

Special mentions were awarded to:

“Neckal: Chronicle of Paddy Man” (Malayalam)
“The Sea and Seven Villages” (Odia)

Significance of the Awards

The 71st National Film Awards celebrate the diversity and richness of Indian cinema, recognizing talent across multiple languages including Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Marathi, Gujarati, Odia, Kannada, English, Assamese, and Mizo. The awards highlight both commercial successes and artistic achievements, ensuring that various aspects of filmmaking receive due recognition.

The shared Best Actor award between Shah Rukh Khan and Vikrant Massey represents the range of Indian cinema, from large-scale commercial entertainers to intimate character-driven dramas. Similarly, the recognition of regional films underscores the National Awards’ commitment to celebrating the full spectrum of Indian filmmaking talent.

These awards serve as an important benchmark for excellence in Indian cinema and continue to encourage filmmakers across the country to strive for artistic and technical excellence in their craft.