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The 71st National Film Awards—announced on August 1, 2025—celebrate excellence in Indian cinema for films released in 2023. For UPSC and other competitive exam aspirants, staying updated about national awards is crucial not only for General Knowledge and Current Affairs but also for understanding key developments in India’s cultural landscape.
This blog provides a detailed overview of major winners, significant highlights, and exam-relevant insights so you’re fully equipped for the arts and culture segment of your preparation.
Key Highlights of the 71st National Film Awards 2023
- Dominance of Hindi Cinema: Bollywood movies and artists swept several major awards, marking a significant trend for India’s mainstream cinema.
- First National Awards for Top Stars: Superstar Shah Rukh Khan and Rani Mukerji received their first National Film Awards for ‘Jawan’ and ‘Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway’, respectively.
- Panel & Announcement: The jury was headed by filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker, and the awards were announced in August 2025.
- Best Feature Film: ’12th Fail’, a powerful reflection on the Indian education system and resilience.
Major Feature Film Category Winners
| Category | Winner(s) & Film |
|---|---|
| Best Feature Film | ’12th Fail’ (Directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra) |
| Best Direction | Sudipto Sen (‘The Kerala Story’) |
| Best Popular Film | ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’ (Karan Johar) |
| Best Debut Director | Aatmapamphlet (Ashish Bende) |
| Best Actor | Shah Rukh Khan (‘Jawan’) & Vikrant Massey (’12th Fail’) |
| Best Actress | Rani Mukerji (‘Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway’) |
| Best Supporting Actor | Vijayaraghavan (‘Pookkaalam’), Muthupettai Somu Bhaskar (‘Parking’) |
| Best Supporting Actress | Urvashi (‘Ullozhukku’), Janki Bodiwala (‘Vash’) |
| Best Child Artists | Sukriti Veni Bandreddi (‘Gandhi Tatha Chettu’), Kabir Khandare (‘Gypsy’), Treesha Thosar, Shrinivas Pokale, Bhargav Jagtap (‘Naal 2’) |
Technical Excellence Awards
| Category | Winner(s) & Film |
|---|---|
| Best Cinematography | Prasantanu Mohapatra (‘The Kerala Story’) |
| Best Screenplay | Sai Rajesh Neelam (‘Baby’), Ramkumar Balakrshnan (‘Parking’) |
| Best Dialogue Writer | Deepak Kingrani (‘Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai’) |
| Best Production Design | Mohandas (‘Everyone Is A Hero’) |
| Best Action Direction | Nandu and Prudhvi (‘Hanu-Man’) |
| Best Make-Up Artist | Shrikant Desai (‘Sam Bahadur’) |
| Best Costume Design | Sachin Lovalekar, Divvya Gambhir, Nidhhi Gambhir (‘Sam Bahadur’) |
| Music Direction (Songs) | G.V. Prakash Kumar (‘Vaathi’) |
| Background Score | Harshavardhan Rameshwar (‘Animal’) |
| Best Lyrics | Kasarla Shyam (‘Ooru Palleturu’ – ‘Balagam’) |
| Male Playback Singer | PVN S Rohit (‘Baby’ – Premisthunna) |
| Female Playback Singer | Shilpa Rao (‘Chaliya’ in ‘Jawan’) |
| Best Choreography | Vaibhavi Merchant (‘Rocky Aur Rani…’ – Dhindhora Baje Re) |
| Best Sound Design | Sachin Sudhakaran & Hariharan Muralidharan (‘Animal’) |
| Best Editing | Midhun Murali (‘Pookkaalam’) |
Regional Language Film Awards
| Language | Best Film (Title & Director) |
|---|---|
| Gujarati | Vash (Krishnadev Yagnik) |
| Garo | Rimdogittanga (Rapture) (Dominic Megam Sangma) |
| Assamese | Rongatapu 1982 (Adityam Saikia) |
| Bengali | Deep Fridge (Arjun Dutta) |
| Hindi | Kathal: A Jackfruit Mystery (Yashowardhan Mishra) |
| Kannada | Kandeelu – The Ray of Hope (K Yashoda Prakash) |
| Malayalam | Ullozhukku (Christo Tomy) |
| Marathi | Shyamchi Aai (Sujay Sunil Dahake) |
| Odia | Pushkara (Subhransu Das) |
| Punjabi | Godday Godday Chaa (Vijay Kumar Arora) |
| Tamil | Parking (Ramkumar Balakrishnan) |
| Telugu | Bhagavanth Kesari (I Don’t Care) (Anil Ravipudi) |
Special Categories
- Best Animation/Visual Effects/Gaming/Comic Film: Hanu-Man (Prasanth Varma)
- Best Feature Film Promoting National, Social & Environmental Values: Sam Bahadur (Meghna Gulzar)
- Best Children’s Film: Naal 2 (Sudhakar Reddy Yakkanti)
- Special Mention: Animal (Re-recording Mixer), M R Rajakrishnan (Hindi)
Non-Feature Film Category
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Best Non-Feature Film | Flowering Man (Soumyajit Ghosh Dastidar) |
| Best Documentary | God Vulture and Human (Rishiraj Agarwal) |
| Best Non-Feature Film Direction | The First Film (Piyush Thakur) |
| Best Script | Sunflowers Were The First Ones To Know (Chidananda Naik) |
| Best Narration/Voice Over | Harikrishnan S (‘The Sacred Jack’) |
| Best Editing | Niladri Roy (‘Moving Focus’) |
| Best Sound Design | Shubharun Sengupta (‘Dhundhgiri Ke Phool’) |
| Best Cinematography | Saravanamaruthu Soundarapandi & Meenakshi Sonam (‘Little Wings’) |
| Best Short Film | Giddh The Scavenger (Manish Saini) |
| Best Debut Director | The Spirit Dreams of Cheraw (Shilpika Bordoloi) |
| Best Non-Feature Film Music Direction | Pranil Desai (‘The First Film’) |
| Best Arts & Culture Film | Timeless Tamil Nadu (Kamakhya Narayan Singh) |
| Best Biographical/Historical Compilation | Mo Bou, Mo Gaan (Subash Sahoo); Lentina Ao (Sanjib Parasar) |
| Best Non-Feature Film Promoting Social/Environmental Values | The Silent Epidemic (Akshat Gupta) |
| Special Mention | Chronicle Of The Paddy Man (M K Ramadas); The Sea and Seven Villages (Himansu Sekhar Khatua) |
| Best Film Critic | Utpal |
Why Are National Film Awards Important for UPSC & Competitive Exams?
- General Knowledge: National awards are often featured in Prelims and Mains papers.
- Indian Culture Awareness: These awards celebrate diversity of regional languages, social themes, and artistic innovation.
- Essay & Interview Angle: UPSC aspirants can use stories of films like ’12th Fail’ or ‘Sam Bahadur’ as examples for perseverance, nation-building, and social change questions.
- Syllabus Relevance: Art & culture, cinema as social reflection, and government involvement in cultural promotion are directly related to Civil Services Mains topics.
Expert Tips for Aspirants
“Make concise notes of major national awards and their winners annually. Watching or reading about award-winning films can provide insights for essay writing, answer enrichment, and interviews. For preliminary exams, focus on standout categories like Best Film, Best Actor/Actress, and notable regional winners.”
Keep visiting upscsuccess.com for trusted updates, detailed analysis, and exam-focused coverage of important national events.
If you need a downloadable or printable list, or want more insight into any specific award or film, let us know in the comments!