The National Film Award for Best Feature Film is one of the categories in the National Film Awards, presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, an organization established by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in India. It is one of several awards presented for feature films and is awarded with the Golden Lotus (Swarna Kamal).
Since 2017, the award has been given annually to films produced nationwide in various Indian languages. It includes a Swarna Kamal and a cash prize of ₹ 2,50,000 and is presented to the producer and director of the film.
In this blog, the National Film Awards 2025 present the list of National Film Award for Best Feature Film award-winning movies in all languages. Scroll through this article and know the National Award-winning films list.
National Film Award for Best Feature Film Winners list
Here is the list of recent National Film Award for Best Feature Film-winning movies. See below and find out all the details about these award-winning films.
| Film | Year | Language(s) | Producer(s) | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12th Fail | 2025 | Hindi | Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Vinod Chopra Films | Vidhu Vinod Chopra |
| The Play | 2024 | Malayalam | Anand Ekarshi, Joy Movie Productions | Anand Ekarshi |
| Rocketry: The Nambi Effect | 2021 | Hindi, English, Tamil | R. Madhavan | R. Madhavan |
| Soorarai Pottru | 2020 | Tamil | Suriya, Jyothika, Sudha Kongara Prasad | Sudha Kongara Prasad |
| Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea | 2019 | Malayalam | Antony Perumbavoor | Priyadarshan |
| Hellaro | 2018 | Gujarati | Nirav Patel, Ashish Patel | Abhishek Shah |
| Kaasav | 2016 | Marathi | Mohan Agashe, Sumitra Bhave, Sunil Sukthankar | Sumitra Bhave, Sunil Sukthankar |
| Baahubali: The Beginning | 2015 | Telugu, Tamil | Shobu Yarlagadda, Prasad Devineni, Arka Media Works | S. S. Rajamouli |
| Court | 2015 | Marathi, Hindi, English | Vivek Gomber, Zoo Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. | Chaitanya Tamhane |
| Ship of Theseus | 2014 | English, Hindi | Sohum Shah | Anand Gandhi |
1. 12th Fail
- Release Date: 27 October 2023
- Director: Vidhu Vinod Chopra
- Producer: Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Yogesh Ishwar
- Cast: Vikrant Massey, Medha Shankr, Anant Joshi, Anshumaan Pushkar, Priyanshu Chatterjee
- OTT Platform: Disney+ Hotstar
Movie Overview: The 12th Fail movie is based on the true story of a student who failed in the 12th grade but aspired to work as a civil servant. This movie shows how he achieves his goal with his hard work and determination.
The movie is motivational for aspirants who want to achieve their dreams. 12th Fail won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in 2025.
2. The Play
- Release Date: 6 December 2013
- Director: Anand Ekarshi
- Producer: Ajith Joy
- Cast: Mumtaz Sorcar, Malay Ghosh, Indrasish Roy, Rajdeep Gupta, Rajesh Sharma
- OTT Platform: Plex
Movie Overview: The Play is a Malayalam movie known as Aattam is a full-action thriller with suspense. This movie is based on a theatrical group where a film actress alleges a crime, and after that, the movie takes a twist, unexpectedly turns into shocking revelations.
The Aattam won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in 2024. If you like suspense thriller movies, you must watch.
3. Rocketry: The Nambi Effect
- Release Date: 1 July 2022
- Director: R. Madhavan
- Producer: Sarita Madhavan, R. Madhavan, Varghese Moolan, Vijay V. Moolan
- Cast: R. Madhavan, Simran
- OTT Platform: Amazon Prime Video
Movie Overview: The Rocketry: The Nambi Effect is a real-life story, or we can say a biopic of scientist Nambi Narayanan, who works on ISRO(Indian Space Research Organization). They have faced many challenges in their life. In 1999, he was arrested on charges of espionage, which were found to the baseless by the CBI.
Scientist Nambi Narayanan was awarded the Padma Bhusan for India’s third-highest civilian Award in 2019, and the film Rocketry: The Nambi Effect was awarded the National Film Award for the Best Feature Film in 2022.
4. Soorarai Pottru
- Release Date: 12 November 2020
- Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
- Producer: Suriya, Jyothika, Guneet Monga
- Cast: Suriya, Aparna Balamurali, Paresh Rawal
- OTT Platform: Amazon Prime Video
Movie Overview: Soorarai Pottru is a Tamil movie based on a true story. An Entrepreneur, G.R. Gopinath, who wants to start a low-cost airline with full determination. This movie shows how he faces the financial, social, official, and documentary problems.
Akshay Kumar has also remade this movie in Hindi, which is called Sarfira in 2024, with the title “Dream So Big, They Call You Crazy.” The movie was awarded the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in 2021.
5. Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea
- Release Date: 2 December 2021
- Director: Priyadarshan
- Producer: Antony Perumbavoor
- Cast: Mohanlal, Pranav Mohanlal, Arjun Sarja, Suniel Shetty, Prabhu, Ashok Selvan, Manju Warrier, Siddique, Nedumudi Venu, Hareesh Peradi
- OTT Platform: Amazon Prime Video
Movie Overview: The Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea is a historical period film from 1500-1600, a real-life story of Kunjali Marakkars. He was the naval chieftain of the Zamorin of Calicut, a ruler in medieval Kerala, who fought against the Portuguese.
But for entertainment purposes, and to make it more enthusiastic, this movie also has a fictional part. In 2019, Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film.
6. Hellaro
- Release Date: 8 November 2019
- Director: Abhishek Shah
- Producer: Ashish Patel, Nirav Patel, Aayush Patel, Abhishek Shah, Mit Jani, Prateek Gupta
- Cast: Jayesh More, Shraddha Dangar, Kaushambi Bhatt, Brinda Trivedi, Shachi Joshi, Niilam Paanchal, Tejal Panchasara, Kishan Gadhavi
- OTT Platform: Airtelxstream
Movie Overview: The Hellaro is a Gujarati movie that is set in the rural area of Gujarat. This movie shows how women find freedom from the traditional folk Garba dance. Basically, this movie shows how a patriarchal mindset ruined women’s lives, their happiness, and joy.
The movie shows women’s empowerment, that how they fought against the patriarchal mindset with courage. In 2019, the Hellaro movie won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film.
7. Kaasav
- Release Date: October 2016
- Director: Sumitra Bhave, Sunil Sukthankar
- Producer: Mohan Agashe, Sumitra Bhave, Sunil Sukthankar
- Cast: Iravati Harshe, Alok Rajwade, Kishor Kadam, Mohan Agashe, Devika Daftardar, Santosh Redkar, Omkar Ghadi
- OTT Platform: Just Watch
Movie Overview: Kaasav is a Marathi film. In 2016, Kaasav won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film. This movie shows how a man recovering from depression finds hope by caring for the Olive Ridley sea turtle.
This movie shows environmental responsibility, mental health awareness, and also how human activity is harmful to the environment. Due to our cruelest activity, ignoring the environment, some species are becoming ends.
8. Bahubali: The Beginning
- Release Date: 10 July 2015
- Director: S. S. Rajamouli
- Producer: Shobu Yarlagadda, Prasad Devineni, K. Raghavendra Rao
- Cast: Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty, Tamannaah Bhatia, Ramya Krishnan, Sathyaraj, Nassa
- OTT Platform: Amazon Prime Video
Movie Overview: The Bahubali: The Beginning is a historical fiction movie of power, revenge, and finding their presence directed by S.S. Rajamouli. Prabhas and Rana Daggubati play the roles of “Baahubali and Bhalla,” who are the main characters of the movie.
The first part was to ask the question “why Kattapa killed Bahubali,” and the second part, “Bahubali: The Conclusion, “gave all the reasons. On 31st October 2025, “Baahubali: the epic” will be released in theatres.
9. Court
- Release Date: 17 April 2015
- Director: Chaitanya Tamhane
- Producer: Vivek Gomber
- Cast: Vira Sathidar, Vivek Gomber, Geetanjali Kulkarni, Pradeep Joshi, Usha Bane, Shirish Pawar
- OTT Platform: Netflix
Movie Overview: The Court movie is a real-life based story on Narayan Kamble, who was a Dalit folk singer in Mumbai. He mostly sings protest songs or criticism about real-life struggles. He was arrested for inspiring a sewage worker’s suicide through his protest song.
The Director Chaitanya Tamhane exposed the slow processing of the indian legal system slow processor. and a disconnect between the legal process and the reality of the people involved.
10. Ship of Theseus
- Release Date: 19 July 2013
- Director: Anand Gandhi
- Producer: Sohum Shah
- Cast: Aida El-Kashef, Neeraj Kabi, Sohum Shah
- OTT Platform: Netflix
Movie Overview: The Ship of Theseus has a fictional story directed by Anand Gandhi. This movie has 3 people’s stories: a blind photographer who gains sight and questions her art, a stockbroker who helps a man get back her kidney, and a monk who fights a legal battle against animal testing for experiments.
This movie is about morality, human existence, and the meaning of change in people’s lives. Ship of Theseus won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film at the 61st National Film Awards in 2013.
Other National Award Winning Movies List
The films in the following languages have won the Best Feature Film award:
| Term | Year | Film(s) | Language(s) | Producer(s) | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 1953 | Shyamchi Aai | Marathi | Pralhad Keshav Atre | Pralhad Keshav Atre |
| 2nd | 1954 | Mirza Ghalib | Hindi | Sohrab Modi | Sohrab Modi |
| 3rd | 1955 | Pather Panchali | Bengali | Government of West Bengal | Satyajit Ray |
| 4th | 1956 | Kabuliwala | Bengali | Charuchitra | Tapan Sinha |
| 5th | 1957 | Do Aankhen Barah Haath | Hindi | V. Shantaram | V. Shantaram |
| 6th | 1958 | Sagar Sangamey | Bengali | De Luxe Film Distributors | Debaki Bose |
| 7th | 1959 | Apur Sansar | Bengali | Satyajit Ray Productions | Satyajit Ray |
| 8th | 1960 | Anuradha | Hindi | Hrishikesh Mukherjee and L. B. Thakur | Hrishikesh Mukherjee |
| 9th | 1961 | Bhagini Nivedita | Bengali | Aurora Film Corporation | Bijoy Bose |
| 10th | 1962 | Dada Thakur | Bengali | Shyamlal Jalan | Sudhir Mukherjee |
| 11th | 1963 | Shehar Aur Sapna | Hindi | Naya Sansar | Khwaja Ahmad Abbas |
| 12th | 1964 | Charulata | Bengali | R. D. Bansal | Satyajit Ray |
| 13th | 1965 | Chemmeen | Malayalam | Babu Ismail Settu | Ramu Kariat |
| 14th | 1966 | Teesri Kasam | Hindi | Shailendra | Basu Bhattacharya |
| 15th | 1967 | Hatey Bazarey | Bengali | Asim Dutta | Tapan Sinha |
| 16th | 1968 | Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne | Bengali | Nepal Dutta and Asim Dutta | Satyajit Ray |
| 17th | 1969 | Bhuvan Shome | Hindi | Mrinal Sen Productions | Mrinal Sen |
| 18th | 1970 | Samskara | Kannada | Tikkavarapu Pattabhirama Reddy | Tikkavarapu Pattabhirama Reddy |
| 19th | 1971 | Seemabaddha | Bengali | Bharat Shamsher and Jang Bahadur Rana | Satyajit Ray |
| 20th | 1972 | Swayamvaram | Malayalam | Adoor Gopalakrishnan | Adoor Gopalakrishnan |
| 21st | 1973 | Nirmalyam | Malayalam | M. T. Vasudevan Nair | M. T. Vasudevan Nair |
| 22nd | 1974 | Chorus | Bengali | Mrinal Sen Productions | Mrinal Sen |
| 23rd | 1975 | Chomana Dudi | Kannada | Praja Films | B. V. Karanth |
| 24th | 1976 | Mrigayaa | Hindi | Uday Bhaskar International | Mrinal Sen |
| 25th | 1977 | Ghatashraddha | Kannada | Sadanand Suvarna | Girish Kasaravalli |
| 26th | 1978 | No Award | – | – | – |
| 27th | 1979 | Shodh | Hindi | Sitakant Misra | Biplab Roy Chowdhury |
| 28th | 1980 | Akaler Shandhaney | Bengali | D. K. Films | Mrinal Sen |
| 29th | 1981 | Dakhal | Bengali | Government of West Bengal | Goutam Ghose |
| 30th | 1982 | Chokh | Bengali | Department of Information, Cultural Affairs India and Govt. of West Bengal | Utpalendu Chakrabarty |
| 31st | 1983 | Adi Shankaracharya | Sanskrit | NFDC | G. V. Iyer |
| 32nd | 1984 | Damul | Hindi | Prakash Jha Productions | Prakash Jha |
| 33rd | 1985 | Chidambaram | Malayalam | G. Aravindan | G. Aravindan |
| 34th | 1986 | Tabarana Kathe | Kannada | Girish Kasaravalli | Girish Kasaravalli |
| 35th | 1987 | Halodhia Choraye Baodhan Khai | Assamese | Sailadhar Baruah and Jahnu Barua | Jahnu Barua |
| 36th | 1988 | Piravi | Malayalam | Film Folks | Shaji N. Karun |
| 37th | 1989 | Bagh Bahadur | Bengali | Buddhadeb Dasgupta | Buddhadeb Dasgupta |
| 38th | 1990 | Marupakkam | Tamil | NFDC | K. S. Sethumadhavan |
| 39th | 1991 | Agantuk | Bengali | NFDC | Satyajit Ray |
| 40th | 1992 | Bhagavad Gita | Sanskrit | T. Subbarami Reddy | G. V. Iyer |
| 41st | 1993 | Charachar | Bengali | Gita Gope and Shankar Gope | Buddhadeb Dasgupta |
| 42nd | 1994 | Unishe April | Bengali | Renu Roy | Rituparno Ghosh |
| 43rd | 1995 | Kathapurushan | Malayalam | Adoor Gopalakrishnan | Adoor Gopalakrishnan |
| 44th | 1996 | Lal Darja | Bengali | Chitrani Lahiri and Dulal Roy | Buddhadeb Dasgupta |
| 45th | 1997 | Thaayi Saheba | Kannada | Jayamala | Girish Kasaravalli |
| 46th | 1998 | Samar | Hindi | Shyam Benegal, Sahyadri Films and NFDC | Shyam Benegal |
| 47th | 1999 | Vanaprastham | Malayalam | Mohanlal | Shaji N. Karun |
| 48th | 2000 | Shantham | Malayalam | P. V. Gangadharan | Jayaraj |
| 49th | 2001 | Dweepa | Kannada | Soundarya | Girish Kasaravalli |
| 50th | 2002 | Mondo Meyer Upakhyan | Bengali | Arya Bhattacharya | Buddhadeb Dasgupta |
| 51st | 2003 | Shwaas | Marathi | Arun Nalawade | Sandeep Sawant |
| 51st | 2003 | Byari | Beary | Altaaf Hussain | K. P. Suveeran |
| 52nd | 2004 | Page 3 | Hindi | Bobby Pushkarna | Madhur Bhandarkar |
| 53rd | 2005 | Kaalpurush | Bengali | Jhamu Sughand | Buddhadeb Dasgupta |
| 54th | 2006 | Pulijanmam | Malayalam | M. G. Vijay | Priyanandanan |
| 55th | 2007 | Kanchivaram | Tamil | Percept Picture Company | Priyadarshan |
| 56th | 2008 | Antaheen | Bengali | Screenplay Films | Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury |
| 57th | 2009 | Kutty Srank | Malayalam | Reliance Big Pictures | Shaji N. Karun |
| 58th | 2010 | Adaminte Makan Abu | Malayalam | Salim Ahamed and Ashraf Bedi | Salim Ahamed |
| 59th | 2011 | Deool | Marathi | Abhijeet Gholap | Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni |
| 59th | 2011 | Byari | Beary | Altaaf Hussain | K. P. Suveeran |
| 60th | 2012 | Paan Singh Tomar | Hindi | UTV Software Communications | Tigmanshu Dhulia |
National Film Award for Best Feature Film – History
The National Film Awards were established in 1954 to “encourage the production of films of a high aesthetic and technical excellence standard and educational and cultural value” and also planned to include awards for regional films.
The awards were instituted as “State Awards for Films” but were renamed to “National Film Awards” at the 15th National Film Awards in 1967.
However, in 2017 the award was one of six Swarna Kamal awards presented for the feature films. The honoured film is included in the annual International Film Festival of India.
Since its beginning in 1953, the producer of the film has been awarded a gold medal and a certificate. A cash prize of ₹ 20,000 was introduced at the 5th National Film Awards (1957) and was revised to ₹ 40,000 at the 18th National Film Awards (1970), to ₹ 50,000 at the 28th National Film Awards (1980), to ₹ 2,50,000 at the 54th National Film Awards (2006).
From 1953 to 1956, the film director received a gold medal as an award, which was subsequently changed to a cash prize of ₹ 5,000 in 1957. Between 1967 and 1973, in addition to the cash prize, to was increased to ₹ 10,000 in 1970, a plaque was also awarded to the director.
The 22nd National Film Awards (1974) introduced the Rajat Kamal (Silver Lotus) award for directors, accompanied by a cash prize of ₹ 15,000. This amount was subsequently increased to ₹ 20,000 at the 25th National Film Awards (1977).
Since the 28th National Film Awards (1980), the director has been honored with the Swarna Kamal and a cash prize initially set at ₹25,000, later increased to ₹50,000 at the same edition. This amount was further revised to ₹2,50,000 at the 54th National Film Awards (2006).
In 1973 and 1974, the lead actor and actress of the film were also awarded. P. J. Antony and Sumithra received a souvenir for the Malayalam film Nirmalyam at the 21st National Film Awards (1973).
Antony also received the Best Actor Award, which was then recognized as the “Bharat Award for Best Actor”. Additionally, Gita Sen and Utpal Dutt were awarded a medallion for their work in the Bengali film “Chorus” at the 22nd National Film Award (1974).
List of National Film Awards for Best Feature Film: Language-wise:
| Language | Number of Wins |
|---|---|
| Hindi | 18 |
| Bengali | 22 |
| Malayalam | 13 |
| Kannada | 7 |
| Marathi | 5 |
| Tamil | 3 |
| Assamese | 2 |
| Sanskrit | 2 |
| Gujarati | 1 |
| Telugu | 1 |
| Beary | 1 |
| English | 1 |
National Award For the Best Feature Film: Unknown Facts
| Category | National Film Award for Best Feature Film |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | Best Feature Film of the Year |
| Sponsored by | Directorate of Film Festivals |
| Formerly called | President’s Gold Medal for Best Feature Film |
| Reward(s) | Swarna Kamal (Golden Lotus) + ₹ 2,50,000/- |
| First awarded | 1953 |
| Last awarded | 2025 |
| Most recent winner | 12th Fail |
Conclusion
In the above article, we have mentioned the National Film Award for Best Feature Film-winning movies list. The list of movies showcases the hard work and determination behind them.
These all movies are all the best films in the history of indian cinema, some of the movies also got nominations at the global stage.
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