The National Film Awards, established in 1954, are the most prominent film awards in India that merit the best of the Indian cinema. The ceremony also presents awards for films in various regional languages.
Awards for films in seven regional language (Bengali, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil and Telugu) started from 2nd National Film Awards which were presented on 21 December 1955.[1] Three awards of "President's Silver Medal for Best Feature Film", "Certificate of Merit for the Second Best Feature Film" and "Certificate of Merit for the Third Best Feature Film" were instituted. The later two certificate awards were discontinued from 15th National Film Awards (1967). Shyam Benegal won the award seven times (most by any director) followed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee who won six times.
Directed by Sohrab Modi, the 1954 film Mirza Ghalib was honoured with the first president's silver medal for Best Feature Film in Hindi. The most recent recipient is the 2021 biographical period drama Sardar Udham.
Winners
Award includes 'Rajat Kamal' (Silver Lotus Award) and cash prize. Following are the award winners over the years:
Awards legends
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President's Silver Medal for Best Feature Film
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Certificate of Merit for the Second Best Feature Film
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Certificate of Merit for the Third Best Feature Film
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Certificate of Merit for the Best Feature Film
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Indicates a joint award for that year
List of award films, showing the year (award ceremony), producer(s), director(s) and citation
For the skilful juxtaposing and interweaving of two parallel destinies, the personal and the political; for the setting these against the decadent splendor of the court of Avadh, recreated with a sense of great pictorial beauty and musical charm; for presenting vividly the clash of two cultures, irreconcilable in their distinctive views of the world; for performances of remarkable depth and range, true to the style and flavour of the period.
For its severe indictment of an establishment and a society that permits injustice, for presenting a bold theme in a cinematic style which makes it both socially and aesthetically significant.
For an unusual film blending with fact and fantasy, dealing with the contemporary subject of the frustrations of middle-aged executive, presented with wit and humour.
For an unusual exploration into the lives of traditional entertainers and the entwined relationships between the animate and inanimate players that develop into an obsession.
For a moving depiction of the story of a mother who beings to realise her son's values and beliefs only after his tragic death and in the process emerges a stronger being.
The films deals with contemporary power structure and confronts violence, corruption and passions with ease. The music, art direction and the dialogues combine to create a strong ethnic character setting a new trend in popular Indian cinema.
For unveiling the complete collapse of the socio-political system. A very effective portrayal of the determined fight of a single citizen in the centre of a façade of democracy.
For the political turmoil has been juxtaposed with the upheavals of the life of a tempestuous Muslim girl who defies all norms to marry a much married maharaja. It is a story of obsessive love in the times of political priorities in post independent India.
A sensitive depiction of the ordeal of Indian prisoners of war trapped between extreme hostility and official apathy in an alien land and showing fortitude in a hopeless situation.
For an entertaining narrative that brings to the fore the struggle of a school teacher who is torn between maintaining his integrity and the lure of a little more comfort.
For the dexterous weaving of four different stories across India which negotiate the complexities of people undergoing the trauma of being dispossessed and thereby disempowered. The director attempts to bridge links between various social issues of those suffering the consequences of political exile; some face humiliation for their sexual preferences while others feel the pain of violation.
A gripping tale of a Mumbai film buff who gets unwittingly involved in a cross border misadventure only to realize how divided hearts can be brought together through cinema.
A fast-paced film of an ambitious lawyer wanting to make it big through short-cut method ends up opening a high profile case and what follows is a roller coaster ride of a man, his moralities, ambitions and relationships.
For a delightful portrayal of a young girl who emerges from her cocoon of diffidence and middle-class mores to discover the pleasure and fulfillment of a life lived on her own terms.
Based on a true story this is a coming of age film about a 13 year old Kolkata boy who went on to create history in the revered snooker club circuits of the city in the nineties.
Based on the life of Udham Singh, a freedom fighter from Punjab who assassinated Michael O'Dwyer in London to avenge the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar