The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting today announced the winners of the 71st National Film Awards, honouring the finest achievements in Indian cinema for the year 2023. The prestigious honours celebrate achievements across Indian cinema, spanning performance, direction, music, and production.
Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan wins his first-ever National Award for Best Actor for his powerful role in Jawan, Atlee’s high-octane action thriller. He shares the title with Vikrant Massey, who earns the same honour for his remarkable performance in the biographical drama 12th Fail. The film, based on the life of IPS officer Manoj Kumar Sharma, also bags the coveted Best Feature Film award.
Rani Mukerji is adjudged Best Actress for her emotionally charged performance in Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway, where she portrays a mother battling foreign authorities for her children’s custody.
In the direction category, Sudipto Sen receives the Best Director award for The Kerala Story, while Karan Johar’sRocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani wins the award for Best Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment.
Jawan, which features Shah Rukh Khan in a dual role as a vigilante fighting systemic corruption, becomes one of the most commercially successful films of the year, crossing the ₹1000-crore mark globally. The film also stars Nayanthara and Vijay Sethupathi.
Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Animal, one of the year’s most discussed films, wins three technical awards. The Ranbir Kapoor-starrer receives a Special Mention for Re-recording (MR Rajakrishnan), Best Background Score (Harshavardhan Rameshwar), and Best Sound Design (Sachin Sudhakaran and Hariharan Muralidharan).
Vicky Kaushal’s Sam Bahadur, based on the life of India’s first Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, wins the award for Best Film Promoting National and Social Values. The film also secures awards for Best Make-Up (Shrikant Desai) and Best Costume Design (Sachin Lovalekar, Divvya Gambir, and Niddhi Gambhir).
In regional cinema, Parking, directed by Ramkumar Balakrishnan, emerges as a standout, winning Best Tamil Film, Best Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor for M.S. Bhaskar.
The Best Actress (Regional) honour is jointly awarded to Nithya Menen for Thiruchitrambalam and Manasi Parekh for the Gujarati film Kutch Express.
The 71st edition of the National Film Awards reflects the evolving landscape of Indian cinema, where mainstream stars, biographical dramas, and socially relevant stories share equal recognition on the national stage.