The 71st National Film Awards ceremony took place on September 23, 2025, at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, celebrating the best of Indian cinema from 2023. President Droupadi Murmu presented the awards to the winners.
Top Honors
Several prominent figures in the Indian film industry were recognized for their outstanding contributions:
- Best Actor: Shah Rukh Khan (for Jawan) and Vikrant Massey (for 12th Fail) shared the award. This marks the first National Award for Shah Rukh Khan in his career.
- Best Actress: Rani Mukerji won the award for her performance in Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway. Mukerji dedicated her award to mothers worldwide, praising their strength and unconditional love.
- Dadasaheb Phalke Award: Veteran actor and filmmaker Mohanlal was bestowed with the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award for his lifetime contribution to Indian cinema. He is the youngest recipient from the Malayalam film industry and only the second person from the state to receive this honor.
Other Key Awards
- Best Feature Film: 12th Fail, directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra.
- Best Hindi Film: Kathal: A Jackfruit Mystery.
- Best Popular Film: Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani, directed by Karan Johar. Karan Johar and Apoorva Mehta received the award.
- Best Direction: The Kerala Story (Sudipto Sen).
- Best Male Singer: Premisthunna (Baby, Telugu).
- Best Female Playback Singer: Shilpa Rao (for the song "Chaleya" in Jawan).
- Best Action Direction: Hanu-Man (Telugu). Kannan Nanduraj won the award for Best Action Choreography for his work on Hanu-Man.
- Best Music Direction (Background Score): Animal (Harshavardhan Rameshwar).
- Best Sound Design: Animal (Hariharan Muralidharan).
- Best Make-up: Sam Bahadur (Shrikant Desai).
- Best Costume Design: Sam Bahadur (Sachin Lovalekar, Divvya Gambhir, and Nidhhi Gambhir).
- Best Production Design: 2018: Everyone Is A Hero (Mohandas).
- Best Children’s Film: Naal 2 (Marathi).
Regional Cinema Recognition
The National Film Awards also recognized excellence in regional cinema:
- Best Telugu Film: Bhagavanth Kesari.
- Best Gujarati Film: Vaash.
- Best Tamil Film: Parking.
- Best Kannada Film: Kandeelu – The Ray of Hope.
- Best Marathi Film: Shyamchi Aai.
- Best Malayalam Film: Ullozhukku.
- Best Odia Film: Pushkara.
- Best Punjabi Film: Godday Godday Chaa.
- Best Assamese Film: Rongatapu 1982.
- Best Bengali Film: Deep Fridge.
The 71st National Film Awards celebrated the diversity and brilliance of Indian cinema, honoring artists and technicians from across the country.
