40th National Film Awards
National Film Awards (India)
The 40th National Film Awards , presented by Directorate of Film Festivals , the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India to felicitate the best of Indian Cinema released in the year 1992.[ 1] Ceremony took place in 1993.
Awards
Awards were divided into feature films, non-feature films and books written on Indian cinema.
Lifetime Achievement Award
Feature films
Feature films were awarded at All India as well as regional level. For 40th National Film Awards, a Sanskrit film, Bhagavad Gita won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film and a Tamil film , Thevar Magan won the maximum number of awards (5). Following were the awards given in each category:[ 1]
Juries
A committee headed by Balu Mahendra was appointed to evaluate the feature films awards. Following were the jury members:[ 1]
All India Award
Following were the awards given:[ 1]
Golden Lotus Award
Official Name: Swarna Kamal[ 1]
All the awardees are awarded with 'Golden Lotus Award (Swarna Kamal)', a certificate and cash prize.
Silver Lotus Award
Official Name: Rajat Kamal[ 1]
All the awardees are awarded with 'Silver Lotus Award (Rajat Kamal)', a certificate and cash prize.
Name of Award
Name of Film
Language
Awardee(s)
Cash Prize
Second Best Feature Film
Padma Nadir Majhi
Bengali
Producer: Government of West Bengal
₹ 30,000/-
Director: Gautam Ghose
₹ 15,000/-
Citation: For depicting the plight of boat people of the river Padma in an unforgettable experience.
Best Screenplay
Sadayam
Malayalam
M. T. Vasudevan Nair
₹ 10,000/-
Citation: For an extremely well structured script.
Best Cinematography
Miss Beatty's Children
English
Cameraman : Venu Laboratory Processing : Prasad Film Laboratories
₹ 15,000/-
Citation: For his masterly, unobtrusive and technically excellent camera work.
Best Audiography
Thevar Magan
Tamil
N. Pandurangan
₹ 10,000/-
Citation: For his extremely creative recording and mixing of the sound track, giving the film an added dimension.
Best Editing
Sargam
Malayalam
M. S. Mani
₹ 10,000/-
Citation: For imparting a natural rhythm to Sargam completely in time with its musical format.
Best Art Direction
Rudaali
Hindi
Samir Chanda
₹ 10,000/-
Citation: For its realistic recreation of the desert scape, with its requisite architectural structures, both opulent and humble.
Best Music Direction
Roja
Tamil
A. R. Rahman
₹ 10,000/-
Citation: For the harmonious blend of western and Karnatak classical music in Roja, the separate music systems complementing each other without losing their own identities.
Best Costume Design
Rudaali
Hindi
• Mala Dey • Simple Kapadia
₹ 10,000/-
Citation: For the authentic designs they created to blend with the desert backdrop of Rajasthan.
Best Actor
Tahader Katha
Bengali
Mithun Chakraborty
₹ 10,000/-
Citation: For his innovative performance which effectively captures the agony of a freedom fighter immediately after Independence.
Best Actress
Rudaali
Hindi
Dimple Kapadia
₹ 10,000/-
Citation: For compelling interpretation of the tribulations of a lonely woman ravaged by a cruel society.
Best Supporting Actor
Damini
Hindi
Sunny Deol
₹ 10,000/-
Citation: For his outstanding portrayal of hardened and cynical lawyer who takes on new challenges in his quest for justice.
Best Supporting Actress
Thevar Magan
Tamil
Revathi
₹ 10,000/-
Citation: For compelling and convincing performance of an innocent village girl, giving it an effortlessly charming naturalness.
Best Child Artist
Mujhse Dosti Karoge
Hindi
Amit Phalke
₹ 5,000/-
Citation: For the sheer joy and versatility he brings to the portrayal of a lovable lad lost in his own dream world.
Best Male Playback Singer
Jeevana Chaitra ("Naadamaya Ee Lokavella")
Kannada
Rajkumar
₹ 10,000/-
Citation: For his extraordinary rendering of a raga celebrating the all pervasive power of music.
Best Female Playback Singer
Thevar Magan ("Inji Idupazhagi")
Tamil
S. Janaki
₹ 10,000/-
Citation: For melodious rendering of an innocent love song.
Best Lyrics
Roja ("Chinna Chinna Aasai")
Tamil
Vairamuthu
₹ 10,000/-
Citation: For his charming, simple poem which has been become a new nursery rhyme on the lips of every child in Tamil Nadu.
Best Special Effects
Angaar
Hindi
Shashilal K. Nair
₹ 10,000/-
Citation: For his absolutely convincing miniature work.
Best Choreography
Ek Hota Vidushak
Marathi
Laxmibai Kolhapurkar
₹ 10,000/-
Citation: For successfully adapting a popular folk theatre form to the screen.
Best Feature Film on National Integration
Roja
Tamil
Producer: Kavithalayaa Productions
₹ 30,000/-
Director: Mani Ratnam
₹ 15,000/-
Citation: For presenting a thrilling drama of the abduction of an Indian scientist by a self-proclaimed liberation army which later realises the futility of its anti-social activities.
Best Film on Family Welfare
Shwet Paatharer Thala
Bengali
Producer: Shankar Gope
₹ 30,000/-
Director: Prabhat Roy
₹ 15,000/-
Citation: For its bold depiction of a widow who defies tradition.
Best Film on Other Social Issues
Neenga Nalla Irukkanum
Tamil
Producer: G. V. Films Pvt. Ltd
₹ 30,000/-
Director: Visu
₹ 15,000/-
Citation: For its effective and purposeful plea for prohibition.
Best Film on Environment / Conservation / Preservation
Cheluvi
Hindi
Producer: Sadir Media Pvt. Ltd
₹ 30,000/-
Director: Girish Karnad
₹ 15,000/-
Citation: For its direct and effective communication of a threatening problem – deforestation.
Special Jury Award
Thevar Magan
Tamil
Sivaji Ganeshan (Actor)
₹ 5,000/- Each
Maya Memsaab
Hindi
Ketan Mehta (Director)
Special Mention
Pasanda Pandit
Bengali
Sibaprasad Sen (Director)
Certificate Only
Citation: For his refreshing directorial debut.
Regional Awards
The award is given to best film in the regional languages in India.[ 1]
Name of Award
Name of Film
Awardee(s)
Cash Prize
Best Feature Film in Assamese
Railor Alir Dubori Ban
Producer: Pulak Gogoi
₹ 20,000/-
Director: Pulak Gogoi
₹ 10,000/-
Citation: For its innovative style in putting across the tragedy of the exploited poor and portraying their agony and helplessness in a poignant manner.
Best Feature Film in Bengali
Tahader Katha
Producer: NFDC
₹ 20,000/-
Director: Buddhadeb Dasgupta
₹ 10,000/-
Citation: For its most unusual and daring treatment of a very real socio-political issue in a metaphoric manner – the alienation of a freedom fighter from his country, now changed beyond recognition.
Best Feature Film in Hindi
Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda
Producer: NFDC
₹ 20,000/-
Director: Shyam Benegal
₹ 10,000/-
Citation: For its poetically charming enquiry into the nature and meaning of love.
Best Feature Film in Kannada
Harakeya Kuri
Producer: B. V. Radha
₹ 20,000/-
Director: Lalitha Ravee (K. S. L. Swame)
₹ 10,000/-
Citation: For its political satire depicting the present-day social situation wherein the innocent citizens are made pawns in the hands of politicians with vested interests.
Best Feature Film in Malayalam
Swaroopam
Producer: P. T. K. Mohammed
₹ 20,000/-
Director: K. R. Mohanan
₹ 10,000/-
Citation: For its original concept and in-depth exploration of the psyche of a man who escapes into the mystic past to flee from the harsh reality of everyday life.
Best Feature Film in Marathi
Ek Hota Vidushak
Producer: NFDC
₹ 20,000/-
Director: Jabbar Patel
₹ 10,000/-
Citation: For its humane portrait of simple tamash clown sucked in by the glittering world of show business and exploited by politicians.
Best Feature Film in Oriya
Vinya Samaya
Producer: Shankar Gope
₹ 20,000/-
Director: Manmohan Mahapatra
₹ 10,000/-
Citation: For its competent treatment of the corruption of modern youth in search of illusive wealth.
Best Feature Film in Tamil
Thevar Magan
Producer: Kamal Haasan
₹ 20,000/-
Director: Bharathan
₹ 10,000/-
Citation: For its dynamic depiction of an educated youth who returns to his roots to fight injustice and in the process is forced to unleash the animal within him.
Best Feature Film in Telugu
Ankuram
Producer: K. V. Suresh Kumar
₹ 20,000/-
Director: C. Umamaheswara Rao
₹ 10,000/-
Citation: For the struggle of a simple housewife who fights an oppressive system single-handed and succeeds in making a dent.
Best Feature Film in Each of the Language Other Than Those Specified in the Schedule VIII of the Constitution
Name of Award
Name of Film
Awardee(s)
Cash Prize
Best Feature Film in English
Electric Moon
Producer: S. S. Bedi
₹ 20,000/-
Director: Pradip Krishen
₹ 10,000/-
Citation: For its tongue-in-cheek parody of royalty gone to seed. A humorous depiction of a decaying way of life, not without its tragic undertones.
Non-Feature Films
Short Films made in any Indian language and certified by the Central Board of Film Certification as a documentary/newsreel/fiction are eligible for non-feature film section.
Juries
A committee headed by Ghanashyam Mohapatra was appointed to evaluate the non-feature films awards. Following were the jury members:[ 1]
Jury Members
Ghanashyam Mohapatra (Chairperson) • Serbjeet Singh • P. B. Pendharkar • Lenin Rajendran
Golden Lotus Award
Official Name: Swarna Kamal[ 1]
All the awardees are awarded with 'Golden Lotus Award (Swarna Kamal)', a certificate and cash prize.
Name of Award
Name of Film
Language
Awardee(s)
Cash Prize
Best Non-Feature Film
In Search of Indian Theatre
English
Producer: Arundhati Chatterjee Director: Abhijit Chattopadhyay
₹ 15,000/- Each
Citation: For a deep and sensitive insight into contemporary Indian theatre.
Silver Lotus Award
Official Name: Rajat Kamal[ 1]
All the awardees are awarded with 'Silver Lotus Award (Rajat Kamal)' and cash prize.
Name of Award
Name of Film
Language
Awardee(s)
Cash Prize
Best First Non-Feature Film
Knock-Out
Tamil
Producer: B. Lenin Director: B. Lenin
₹ 10,000/- Each
Citation: The director has given us a powerful insight into the labyrinth of the human mind faced with a disaster situation.
Best Anthropological / Ethnographic Film
Wangala – A Garo Festival
English
Producer: Bappa Ray Director: Bappa Ray
₹ 10,000/- Each
Citation: For competently presenting the life of lifestyle of Garo community of Meghalaya.
Best Biographical Film
Pandit Bhimsen Joshi
Hindi
Producer: Gulzar for Films Division Director: Gulzar
₹ 10,000/- Each
Citation: For a moving rendering of the life of great master of ragas.
Best Arts / Cultural Film
The Recluse
Hindi
Producer: Arvind Sinha Director: Arvind Sinha
₹ 10,000/- Each
Citation: For a fine and moving tribute to one of the great living master of Dhrupad – Ustad Amiruddin Dagar.
Suchitra Mitra
Bengali
Producer: Sailen Seth Director: Raja Sen
Citation: For a cinematic tribute to the greatest living exponent of Rabindra Sangeet.
Best Scientific Film
Chunauti
Marathi
Producer: D. G. Information and Public Relations, Government of Maharashtra Director: Dinkar Chowdhary
₹ 10,000/- Each
Citation: For its daring presentation in a befitting manner of the most dangerous disease of present times – AIDS.
Best Environment / Conservation / Preservation Film
Ladhakh – The Forbidden Wilderness
English
Producer: Bedi Films Director: Naresh Bedi
₹ 10,000/- Each
Citation: For an authentic rendition of civilisation and wildlife on the roof of the world.
Best Promotional Film
Sound of the Dying Colors
English
Producer: Paran Barbarooah, B. B. Productions Director: Sher Choudhury
₹ 10,000/- Each
Citation: For the film makes out a good case for preserving the arts of dyeing that have existed in many tribal communities for centuries.
Best Agricultural Film
Ber
English
Producer: Om Prakash Sharma for Films Division Director: Rajgopal Rao
₹ 10,000/- Each
Citation: For a skilful rendition of the process in the cultivation of ber in the arid zones of India.
Best Film on Social Issues
Choodiyan
Hindi
Producer: Sai Paranjpye for Films Division Director: Sai Paranjpye
₹ 10,000/- Each
Citation: For portraying the courage of women in fighting alcoholism among the menfolk of the community.
Best Educational / Motivational / Instructional Film
Kalarippayat
English
Producer: P. Ashok Kumar Director: P. Ashok Kumar
₹ 10,000/- Each
Citation: For a unique picturisation of the martial art of Kerala.
Towards Joy and Freedom
English
Producer: Haimanti Banerjee Director: Haimanti Banerjee
Citation: For insight into the system of education being practised at Rabindranath Tagore's Shantiniketan.
Best Exploration / Adventure Film
Antarctica – A Scientists' Paradise
English
Producer: R. Krishna Mohan for Films Division Director: A. Udayashankar
₹ 10,000/- Each
Citation: For an impressive pictorial record of achievements of our scientists on the frozen continent of Antarctica.
Best Investigative Film
Ram ke Naam
Hindi
Producer: Anand Patwardhan Director: Anand Patwardhan
₹ 10,000/- Each
Citation: For a skilfully made film on a major problem of the times – the communal divide.
Best Animation Film
Gaaye Ki Sachai
Hindi
Producer: Climb Films and N'CYP Director: Bhimsain Animator: Bhimsain
₹ 10,000/- Each
Citation: For an allegorical story skilfully told about moral values.
The Threads
English
Producer: B. R. Shendge for Films Division Director: Girish Rao Animator: Girish Rao
Citation: For an innovative film on the theme of unity.
Best Short Fiction Film
Agar Aap Chahein
Hindi
Producer: Shahnaz Rahim for Films Division Director: Mazahir Rahim
₹ 10,000/- Each
Citation: For a moving story of a village community which has been saved from migration to a city by timely help from a bank for agricultural development.
Best Film on Family Welfare
Suno Bahu Rani
Hindi
Producer: Om Prakash Sharma for Films Division Director: K. K. Kapil
₹ 10,000/- Each
Citation: For a deftly made film with the aid of puppets on the theme of family welfare.
Best Cinematography
Sucitra Mitra
Bengali
Cameraman : Soumendu Roy Laboratory Processing : Adlabs
₹ 10,000/- Each
Citation: For capturing on celluloid the many moods of the Bengal landscape and picturisation of the famous singer Suchitra Mitra.
Best Audiography
Wangala – A Garo Festival
English
Sanjoy Chatterjee
₹ 10,000/-
Citation: For a sustained standard of sound recording on difficult locations which enriches the quality of the film.
Best Editing
Kalarippayat
English
K. R. Bose
₹ 10,000/-
Citation: For deft cutting of difficult sequence which makes it possible to maintain the rhythm and tempo of the film.
Special Jury Award
Noottantinte Sakshi
Malayalam
• Salam Karassery (Producer) • Sasibhushan (Director)
₹ 10,000/-
Citation: For a moving narrative about the courageous Maulvi patriot and centenarian Moidu Maulvi of Calicut, Kerala.
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.
Juries
A committee headed by Mrinal Pande was appointed to evaluate the writing on Indian cinema. Following were the jury members:[ 1]
Golden Lotus Award
Official Name: Swarna Kamal[ 1]
All the awardees are awarded with 'Golden Lotus Award (Swarna Kamal)' and cash prize.
Name of Award
Name of Book
Language
Awardee(s)
Cash Prize
Best Book on Cinema
Awara
English
Author: Gayatri Chatterjee Publisher: Wiley Eastern Ltd
₹ 10,000/- Each
Citation: Her work is a novel experiment, which analyses the film in depth both at a personal and at a social level. What emerges is a clear reflection of the socio-economic fabric of a newly independent India. The book can be rightly termed an extension of Raj Kapoor's artistic sensibilities.
Best Film Critic
Bengali
Sudhir Bose
₹ 10,000/-
Citation: His writings go beyond newspaper or magazine journalism. His courage of conviction helps him to reflect most authentically the regional and ethnic sensitibilies of cinema across globe. Whether it be Indian cinema or Hungarian or even American, Mr. Bose's articles portray a rare kind of perception.
Awards not given
Following were the awards not given as no film was found to be suitable for the award:[ 1]
References
External links
Lifetime Achievement Feature Films
Non-Feature Films
Writing on cinema
Awards by year
1953–1960 1961–1980 1981–2000 2001–2020 2021–present