The 71st National Film Awards honored the best Indian films certified by the CBFC in the calendar year 2023 across feature, non-feature, and writing categories. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting announced the winners on August 1, 2025. President Droupadi Murmu presented the awards at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi on September 23, 2025.
This complete reference guide covers every category winner, including the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the joint Best Actor decision, the complete regional film winners, and the historic gap in the Writing on Cinema section.
Table of Contents
- 71st National Film Awards: Key Facts at a Glance
- Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2025: Mohanlal
- 71st National Film Awards Feature Film Winners: Complete Table
- Why Did Shah Rukh Khan and Vikrant Massey Both Win Best Actor?
- 71st National Film Awards Non-Feature Film Winners
- Best Writing on Cinema at the 71st National Film Awards
- 71st National Film Awards Highlights and Records
- Frequently Asked Questions About the 71st National Film Awards
71st National Film Awards: Key Facts at a Glance
The 71st National Film Awards recognized films from 2023 with results announced on August 1, 2025 and the ceremony held on September 23, 2025 at Vigyan Bhavan. President Droupadi Murmu presented the awards administered by the NFDC.
Quick Reference Card:
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Edition | 71st |
| Eligibility Year | Films certified between January 1, 2023 and December 31, 2023 |
| Administering Body | National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) |
| Announcement Date | August 1, 2025 |
| Ceremony Date | September 23, 2025 |
| Ceremony Venue | Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi |
| Presented By | President Droupadi Murmu |
| Best Feature Film | 12th Fail (Hindi) |
| Sections Covered | Feature Films, Non-Feature Films, Writing on Cinema |
Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2025: Mohanlal
The Dadasaheb Phalke Award recipient for the 71st edition is Mohanlal, recognizing his extraordinary lifetime contribution to Indian cinema. Mohanlal is the first Malayalam actor of his generation to receive India’s highest film honor.
Mohanlal has worked in the Indian film industry for over four decades. He has acted in more than 400 films. His career spans Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Hindi cinema.
Before receiving the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, Mohanlal won five National Film Awards for acting and producing. The Dadasaheb Phalke Award includes a Swarna Kamal (Golden Lotus) trophy, a cash prize of Rs 15,00,000, and a shawl.
His selection marks a major milestone for Malayalam cinema. The award honors his immense versatility and lasting impact on Indian culture.
Explore the complete Dadasaheb Phalke Award winners list to see all past recipients.
71st National Film Awards Feature Film Winners: Complete Table
The 71st National Film Awards feature film section recognized 12th Fail as Best Feature Film, Sudipto Sen as Best Director, and honored top performers across acting, technical, and regional language categories.
Top Honours at the 71st National Film Awards
The Swarna Kamal (Golden Lotus) categories represent the highest honors in the feature film section.
| Category | Winner | Film | Language |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Feature Film | Vidhu Vinod Chopra (Director/Producer) | 12th Fail | Hindi |
| Best Director | Sudipto Sen | The Kerala Story | Hindi |
| Best Popular Film | Karan Johar (Director) | Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani | Hindi |
| Best Debut Film of a Director | Pramod Pati | Kanya | Marathi |
Film Synopses for Top Winners:
- 12th Fail: Based on the true story of IPS officer Manoj Kumar Sharma, who passed the UPSC examination on his fourth attempt despite severe poverty.
- The Kerala Story: A controversial drama exploring the alleged radicalization and conversion of young women in Kerala.
- Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani: A grand family drama focusing on the clash between a flamboyant Punjabi family and an intellectual Bengali family.
Learn more about the history of the Best Feature Film National Award.
Acting and Performance Awards
The acting categories award the Rajat Kamal (Silver Lotus) and Rs 2,00,000 in prize money.
| Category | Winner | Film | Language |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Actor | Shah Rukh Khan | Jawan | Hindi |
| Best Actor | Vikrant Massey | 12th Fail | Hindi |
| Best Actress | Rani Mukerji | Mrs. Chatterjee vs. Norway | Hindi |
| Best Supporting Actor | Fahadh Faasil | Aavesham | Malayalam |
| Best Supporting Actress | Shabana Azmi | Ghoomer | Hindi |
| Best Child Artist | Deshna Jain | Kanya | Marathi |
- Mrs. Chatterjee vs. Norway: Based on the true story of Sagarika Chakraborty, an Indian mother who fought Norwegian child services to regain custody of her children.
Review the complete Best Actor National Award winners database and the Best Actress National Award complete history.
Music, Playback, and Choreography Awards
These categories recognize excellence in sound and movement.
| Category | Winner | Film/Song | Language |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Music Direction (Songs) | Pritam | Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani | Hindi |
| Best Music Direction (Background Score) | Anirudh Ravichander | Jawan | Hindi |
| Best Male Playback Singer | P V N S Rohit | Baby | Telugu |
| Best Female Playback Singer | Shilpa Rao | Jawan | Hindi |
| Best Choreography | Vaibhavi Merchant | Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani | Hindi |
| Best Lyrics | Varun Grover | Dunki | Hindi |
Technical Awards at the 71st National Film Awards
The technical awards honor the essential craft behind filmmaking.
| Category | Winner | Film | Language |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Cinematography | Prasanthanu Mohapatra | The Kerala Story | Hindi |
| Best Editing | Midhun Murali | Pookkaalam | Malayalam |
| Best Sound Design | Sachin Sudhakaran & Hariharan Muralidharan | Animal | Hindi |
| Best Screenplay (Original) | Sai Rajesh Neelam | Baby | Telugu |
| Best Screenplay (Adapted) | Ramkumar Balakrishnan | Parking | Tamil |
| Best Dialogues | Ishita Moitra | Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani | Hindi |
| Best Production Design | Subrata Chakraborty & Amit Ray | Sam Bahadur | Hindi |
| Best Costume Design | Manish Malhotra | Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani | Hindi |
| Best Make-up Artist | Somnath Kundu | Sam Bahadur | Hindi |
| Best Action Direction | Kecha Khamphakdee | Jawan | Hindi |
Best Regional Language Film Winners
The jury awards a Rajat Kamal to the best film in each language specified in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.
| Language | Best Regional Film | Director |
|---|---|---|
| Hindi | Kathal: A Jackfruit Mystery | Yashowardhan Mishra |
| Marathi | Shyamchi Aai | Sujay Dahake |
| Malayalam | Ullozhukku | Christo Tomy |
| Tamil | Parking | Ramkumar Balakrishnan |
| Telugu | Bhagavanth Kesari | Anil Ravipudi |
| Bengali | Deep Fridge | Arjun Dutta |
| Gujarati | Vash | Krishnadev Yagnik |
| Punjabi | Godday Godday Chaa | Vijay Kumar Arora |
| Assamese | Rongatapu 1982 | Adityam Bhattacharya |
| Kannada | Kandeelu | Srinivasa Raju |
| Odia | Pushkara | Subhashish Pati |
Understand the difference between Swarna Kamal and Rajat Kamal trophies.
Why Did Shah Rukh Khan and Vikrant Massey Both Win Best Actor?
Shah Rukh Khan and Vikrant Massey jointly won Best Actor because the central jury evaluated their distinct performances in Jawan and 12th Fail as equally outstanding and deserving of the highest national recognition.
The National Film Awards rules permit the jury to declare a tie. When two performances achieve identical voting scores or when the jury reaches a consensus that distinguishing between two brilliant performances is impossible, they award both actors.
Shah Rukh Khan won for his dual role in the mass action film Jawan. He portrayed a father and son seeking justice against corruption. The performance marked a massive cinematic comeback.
Vikrant Massey won for his portrayal of Manoj Kumar Sharma in 12th Fail. He delivered a grounded, realistic performance of a village boy fighting extreme poverty to become an IPS officer.
The jury decided that both acting styles, though vastly different in scale, represented the pinnacle of Indian acting for the 2023 calendar year. Both actors received the Rajat Kamal and the full prize money.
71st National Film Awards Non-Feature Film Winners
The 71st National Film Awards non-feature section recognized Flowering Man as Best Non-Feature Film, God Vulture and Human as Best Documentary, and honored excellence in short films and specialized documentaries.
The Non-Feature Film section covers documentaries, short fiction films, animation, and educational films. These categories receive distinct Swarna Kamal and Rajat Kamal awards.
| Category | Winner | Director |
|---|---|---|
| Best Non-Feature Film | Flowering Man | To Be Updated |
| Best Documentary | God Vulture and Human | To Be Updated |
| Best Short Film (Up to 30 Minutes) | Giddh: The Scavenger | To Be Updated |
| Best Non-Feature Film Promoting Social Values | The Silent Epidemic | To Be Updated |
| Best Biographical Film | Mo Bou, Mo Gaan / Lentina Ao | To Be Updated |
| Best Arts / Culture Film | Timeless Tamil Nadu | To Be Updated |
| Best Debut Film of a Director | Mau: The Spirit Dreams of Cheraw | To Be Updated |
| Best Direction (Non-Feature) | Piyush Thakur | The First Film |
| Best Cinematography (Non-Feature) | Saravanamaruthu Soundarapandi & Meenakshi Soman | Little Wings |
| Best Music Direction (Non-Feature) | Pranil Desai | The First Film |
| Best Editing (Non-Feature) | Niladri Roy | Moving Focus |
| Best Sound Design (Non-Feature) | Shubharun Sengupta | Dhundhgiri Ke Phool |
The jury also awarded Special Mentions to Nekal – Chronicle of the Paddy Man and The Sea and the Seven Villages.
Read the complete National Film Awards non-feature film guide for a detailed history.
Best Writing on Cinema at the 71st National Film Awards
The Best Writing on Cinema section at the 71st National Film Awards resulted in no award for Best Book on Cinema, marking the first time since 1981 that the jury withheld this specific prize.
Gopalkrishna Pai chaired the Writing on Cinema jury. The jury evaluated 27 books submitted for the Best Book on Cinema category. However, the jury concluded that none of the submitted books met the high standards required for a National Film Award.
This decision represents a historic moment. The Best Book on Cinema award has recognized outstanding film literature consistently since 1981. The jury’s refusal to compromise on quality highlights the rigorous standards of the National Film Awards.
The jury did award the Best Film Critic prize. The Swarna Kamal for Best Film Critic went to the winning journalist for their insightful analysis of Indian cinema trends throughout the 2023 calendar year.
Explore the complete archive of National Film Awards writing on cinema winners.
71st National Film Awards Highlights and Records
The 71st National Film Awards established several milestones, including a joint Best Actor win, Mohanlal receiving the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, and the historic withholding of the Best Book on Cinema prize.
Key Highlights:
- The Joint Best Actor Decision: Shah Rukh Khan and Vikrant Massey sharing the Best Actor award highlighted the jury’s appreciation for both commercial superstar performances and grounded independent cinema acting.
- Mohanlal’s Historic Milestone: Mohanlal became the preeminent representative of his generation in Malayalam cinema to win the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, cementing his legendary status.
- 12th Fail’s Ultimate Victory: 12th Fail won Best Feature Film. The film opened with low box office expectations but grew through word of mouth. The National Award confirmed its status as the defining film of 2023.
- The Writing Gap: The jury withholding the Best Book on Cinema award for the first time in over 40 years demonstrated the uncompromising evaluation standards.
- Jawan’s Technical Dominance: Jawan secured major technical awards, proving that high-budget action films can achieve excellence in craft and execution.
Compare these records with the 70th National Film Awards winners and anticipate the upcoming 72nd National Film Awards.
Frequently Asked Questions About the 71st National Film Awards
Which film won Best Feature Film at the 71st National Film Awards?
12th Fail won Best Feature Film at the 71st National Film Awards. Director Vidhu Vinod Chopra received the Swarna Kamal for his inspiring Hindi-language drama based on the true story of IPS officer Manoj Kumar Sharma.
Why did Shah Rukh Khan and Vikrant Massey both win Best Actor?
Shah Rukh Khan and Vikrant Massey both won Best Actor because the central jury evaluated their distinct performances in Jawan and 12th Fail as equally outstanding. The jury tied the score, awarding both actors the Rajat Kamal.
Who received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award at the 71st National Film Awards?
Mohanlal received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award at the 71st National Film Awards. The government honored the legendary Malayalam actor with India’s highest cinema recognition for his extraordinary lifetime contribution to the Indian film industry over four decades.
When was the 71st National Film Awards ceremony held?
The 71st National Film Awards ceremony was held on September 23, 2025. President Droupadi Murmu presented the Swarna Kamal and Rajat Kamal trophies to the winners at a formal government event at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi.
Why was the Best Book on Cinema not awarded at the 71st National Film Awards?
The Best Book on Cinema was not awarded because the jury concluded that none of the 27 submitted books met the required standard of excellence. This historic decision marked the first time since 1981 the prize was withheld.
Discover More National Film Awards History
Explore the complete databases and detailed guides covering every aspect of India’s highest film honors:
- Browse the all National Film Award winners from 1954 to 2026 master list
- Read the complete guide to National Film Awards
- Explore all National Film Award categories explained
- Understand the National Film Awards jury selection process
- Read the complete National Film Awards ceremony guide
- View the complete Best Director National Award winners database
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