The winners of the 71st National Film Awards 2025 were announced on August 1, honouring 2023’s best films. Shah Rukh Khan, Vikrant Massey, and Rani Mukerji won top acting honours.
Awards Announced Officially: The 71st National Film Awards for 2023 were officially announced on August 1, 2025. The jury submitted its final list to Union Ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw and L. Murugan at 4 PM. A press conference followed at 6 PM at the National Media Centre, New Delhi. Media personnel were asked to arrive by 5:30 PM for the formal announcement of winners. (Image: Pib.gov.in)
Dual Best Actor: Vikrant Massey and Shah Rukh Khan jointly won Best Actor. Massey won for 12th Fail and Khan for Jawan. This marks Khan’s first National Award in his 33-year career. Both actors were praised for emotionally impactful performances. The jury noted Massey’s honest portrayal of a village youth, while Khan’s dual role in Jawan was described as intense and balanced.
Rani Wins Big: Rani Mukerji won Best Actress for Mrs. Chatterjee Vs Norway. It was her first National Award. She expressed gratitude and saw the recognition as validation of her 30-year acting career. The film featured her in the role of a mother battling a foreign legal system. The jury acknowledged her performance for its sincerity and emotional depth. (Image: YouTube)
Feature Film Honour: 12th Fail, directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, won Best Feature Film. Chopra produced the film under VC Films LLP. The film’s story, rooted in real-life events, was praised for its narrative strength and relevance. Massey had earlier said he hoped the film would win, describing the National Award as the highest aspiration of any Indian actor. (Image: Vidhu Vinod Chopra Instagram)
Hindi Films Lead: Hindi cinema dominated major categories. Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani won Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. Directed by Karan Johar, it also won Best Choreography for Vaibhavi Merchant’s work on the song “Dhindhora Baje Re.” Sam Bahadur was awarded for promoting national, social, and environmental values, and also won in makeup and costume categories.
Technical Awards Spread: The Kerala Story won Best Direction for Sudipto Sen and Best Cinematography. Animal secured awards in sound design and background music, and also received a special mention for re-recording. Baby, a Telugu film, shared Best Screenplay and won Best Male Playback Singer. Other technical awards were shared by films like Vaathi, Balagam, Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai, and Pookkaalam. (Image: YouTube)
Child Artists Recognised: Best Child Artist awards went to Sukriti Veni Bandreddi for Gandhi Tatha Chettu, Kabir Khandare for Gypsy, and a group of actors from Naal 2. The Marathi film Naal 2 also won Best Children’s Film. These awards were shared among all winning child actors, recognising emerging talent in regional and national cinema alike.
Regional Films Honoured: Several regional films won Best Feature Film in their respective languages. Parking (Tamil), Kandeelu (Kannada), Shyamchi Aai (Marathi), Pushkara (Odia), Rongatapu 1982 (Assamese), Deep Fridge (Bengali), Godday Godday Chaa (Punjabi), and Bhagavanth Kesari (Telugu) were among the winners. Kathal won Best Hindi Film, while Vash and Ullozhukku earned both language and acting awards.
Non-Feature Section: In the Non-Feature category, Flowering Man won Best Non-Feature Film. The First Film won Best Direction and Best Music Direction. Other winners included God Vulture and Human (Best Documentary), The Silent Epidemic (Social Values), and Giddh: The Scavenger (Short Film). Sunflowers Were The First Ones To Know won Best Script, while several others earned special mentions. (Image: YouTube)
Jury And Oversight: The jury was chaired by filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker. Other members included representatives from all regions and film formats. The Feature Film section saw 332 entries, Non-Feature had 115, and 27 books competed in writing on cinema. Assamese critic Utpal Datta won Best Film Critic. The awards, covering works certified in 2023, remain India’s highest official film honour. (Image: Pib.gov.in)
