71st National Film Awards: Shah Rukh Khan Wins First National Award of His Career
- TPP
- Aug 2
- 6 min read
Updated: Sep 12
In a landmark moment for Indian cinema, the winners of the 71st National Film Awards were announced at the National Media Centre in New Delhi on August 01, 2025. Among the biggest highlights was the long-awaited recognition of Shah Rukh Khan, who won his first-ever National Film Award for Best Actor for his powerful performance in Jawan, directed by Atlee Kumar.
The award was shared with Vikrant Massey, who received critical acclaim for his role in 12th Fail.
What Are the National Film Awards?
The National Film Awards, established in 1954 by the Government of India, are the most prestigious film awards in the country, recognizing excellence in Indian cinema. Held annually and presented by the President of India, these awards honor achievements across a wide range of categories including:
Best Feature Film
Best Direction
Best Actor & Best Actress
Best Cinematography
Best Screenplay
Best Music Direction
Unlike many commercial film awards, the National Film Awards place equal emphasis on mainstream and regional cinema, celebrating India's linguistic and cultural diversity through storytelling.
Key Winners of the 71st National Film Awards (for Films Certified in 2023)
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Shah Rukh Khan (Jawan) — This marks the first National Award in his 33-year career.
Vikrant Massey (12th Fail) — Recognized for his inspiring portrayal in the biographical drama based on a real-life UPSC aspirant.
Best Actress in a Leading Role
Rani Mukerji (Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway) — Honored for her emotionally intense role based on a true story of an Indian mother's custody battle in Norway.
Best Feature Film
12th Fail, directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra — A film that captured hearts with its gritty, real-life narrative about perseverance and hope.
Best Direction
Sudipto Sen for The Kerala Story — Awarded for impactful storytelling on a controversial subject.
Best Supporting Actor
Vijayaraghavan (Pookkaalam) — Representing Malayalam cinema.
M.S. Bhaskar (Parking) — A standout performer in Tamil cinema.
Best Supporting Actress
Urvashi (Ullozhukku - Malayalam)
Janki Bodiwala (Vash - Gujarati)
Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment
Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani — A vibrant family drama produced by Karan Johar, praised for its mix of tradition and modernity.
Best Hindi Film
Kathal — A satirical comedy about bureaucracy and justice.
Best Regional Language Films
Best Malayalam Film: Ullazhukku
Best Tamil Film: Parking
Best Telugu Film: Bhagavanth Kesari
The complete list of the awardees is provided below
71st National Film Awards, 2023 Best Writing on Cinema
Award for Best Film Critic:
Sr. No. | Name of Critic | Language |
1. | Utpal Datta | Assamese |
71st National Film Awards, 2023 Non-Feature Films Section
S. No. | Category of Award | Title of the Film | Awardee |
1. |
Best Non-Feature Film |
Flowering Man (Hindi) | Producer: Film and Television Institute of IndiaDirector: Soumyajit Ghosh Dastidar |
2. | Best Debut Film of A Director | Mau: The Spirit Dreams of Cheraw (Mizo) | Director: Shilpika Bordoloi |
3. | Best Biographical / Historical Reconstruction / Compilation Film | Mo Bou, Mo Gaan
(Odia) | Producer: Kicksy Wicksy Films RNV 1820 Films Director: Subash Sahoo |
Lentina Ao - A Light on the Eastern Horizon (English) | Producer: NFDC Director: Sanjib Parasar | ||
4. | Best Arts / Culture Film | Timeless Tamil Nadu (English) | Producer: Celebrities Management Private Limited Director: Kamakhya Narayan Singh |
5. | Best Documentary | God Vulture and Human (English, Hindi & Telugu) | Producer: Studio Lichi Dr. Rajesh Chandwani Director: Rishiraj Agarwal |
6. | Best Non-Feature Film Promoting Social and Environmental Values | The Silent Epidemic (Hindi) | Producer: Cinema4good Pvt Ltd Raahgiri Foundation Director: Akshat Gupta |
7. | Best Short Film (Up to 30 Min) | Giddh The Scavenger (Hindi) | Producer: Ellanar Films Director: Manish Saini |
8. | Best Direction | The First Film (Hindi) | Director: Piyush Thakur |
9. | Best Cinematography | Little Wings (Tamil)
| Cinematographer: Saravanamaruthu Soundarapandi & Meenakshi Soman
|
10. | Best Sound Design | Dhundhgiri Ke Phool (Hindi) | Sound Designer: Shubharun Sengupta |
11. | Best Editing | Moving Focus (English) | Editor: Niladri Roy |
12. | Best Music Direction | The First Film (Hindi) | Music Director: Pranil Desai |
13. | Best Narration/ Voice Over | The Sacred Jack - Exploring The Tree of Wishes (English) | Narrator: Harikrishnan S |
14. | Best Script | Sunflowers Were The First Ones To Know…
(Kannada) | Script Writer: Chidananda Naik |
15. | Special Mention | Nekal - Chronicle of The Paddy Man
(Malayalam) | Director & Producer: M K Ramadas |
The Sea And Seven Villages
(Odia) | Producer: Kadambini Media Pvt. Ltd. Director: Himansu Sekhar Khatua |
71st National Film Awards, 2023 Feature Films Section
S. No. | Category of Award | Title of The Film | Awardee |
1. | Best Feature Film | 12th Fail (Hindi) | Producer: VC Films LLP Director: Vidhu Vinod Chopra |
2. | Best Debut Film of a Director | Aatmapamphlet
(Marathi) |
Director: Ashish Bende |
3. | Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment | Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani
(Hindi) | Producer: Dharma Productions Pvt. Ltd. Director: Karan Johar |
4. | Best Feature Film Promoting National, Social, and Environmental Values | Sam Bahadur
(Hindi) | Producer: Unilazer Ventures Private Limited Director: Meghna Gulzar |
5. | Best Children's Film | Naal 2
(Marathi) | Producer: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. Aatpat Productions Director: Sudhakar Reddy Yakkanti |
6. | Best Film in AVGC (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming & Comic) | Hanu-Man
(Telugu) | Producer: Primeshow Entertainment Pvt Ltd Director: Prasanth Varma |
Animator: Jetty Venkat Kumar | |||
VFX Supervisor: Jetty Venkat Kumar | |||
7. | Best Direction | The Kerala Story (Hindi) | Director: Sudipto Sen |
8. | Best Actor in a Leading Role
| Jawan
(Hindi) | Actor: Shah Rukh Khan |
12th Fail
(Hindi) | Actor: Vikrant Massey | ||
9. | Best Actress in a Leading Role | Mrs. Chatterjee V/s Norway
(Hindi) | Actress: Rani Mukerji |
10. | Best Actor in a Supporting Role
| Pookkaalam
(Malayalam) | Supporting Actor: Vijayaraghavan |
Parking
(Tamil) | Supporting Actor: Muthupettai Somu Bhaskar | ||
11. | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | Ullozhukku (Malayalam) | Supporting Actress: Urvashi |
Vash (Gujarati) | Supporting Actress: Janki Bodiwala | ||
12. | Best Child Artist | Gandhi Tatha Chettu
(Telugu) | Child Artist: Sukriti Veni Bandreddi |
Gypsy
(Marathi) | Child Artist: Kabir Khandare | ||
Naal 2
(Marathi) | Child Artist: Treesha Thosar, Shrinivas Pokale & Bhargav Jagtap | ||
13. | Best Male Playback Singer | Baby (Premisthunna) (Telugu) | Singer: PVN S Rohit |
14. | Best Female Playback Singer | Jawan (Chaliya)
(Hindi) | Singer: Shilpa Rao |
15. | Best Cinematography | The Kerala Story
(Hindi) | Cinematographer: Prasantanu Mohapatra |
16. | Best Screenplay | Baby
(Telugu) | Screenplay Writer (Original): Sai Rajesh Neelam |
Parking
(Tamil) | Screenplay Writer (Original): Ramkumar Balakrishnan
| ||
Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai
(Hindi) | Dialogue Writer: Deepak Kingrani | ||
17. | Best Sound Design | Animal
(Hindi) | Sound Designer: Sachin Sudhakaran Hariharan Muralidharan |
18. | Best Editing | Pookkaalam (Malayalam) | Editor: Midhun Murali |
19. | Best Production Design | 2018-Everyone Is A Hero (Malayalam) | Production Designer: Mohandas |
20. | Best Costume Designer | Sam Bahadur
(Hindi) | Costume Designer: Sachin Lovalekar, Divvya Gambhir, and Nidhhi Gambhir |
21. | Best Make-up | Sam Bahadur
(Hindi) | Make-up Artist: Shrikant Desai |
22. | Best Music Direction |
Vaathi
(Tamil) |
Music Director (Songs): G V Prakash Kumar
|
Animal
(Hindi) | Music Director (Background Music): Harshavardhan Rameshwar | ||
23. | Best Lyrics | Balagam (Ooru Palleturu)
(Telugu) | Lyricist: Kasarla Shyam |
24. | Best Choreography | Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (Dhindhora Baje Re)
(Hindi) | Choreographer: Vaibhavi Merchant |
25. | Best Action Direction Award (Stunt Choreography) | Hanu-Man (Telugu) | Stunt Choreographer: Nandu Prudhvi |
Best Feature Film in each of the language specified in the Schedule VIII of the Constitution |
26. | Best Assamese Film
| Rongatapu 1982 | Producer: BRC Cine Production
Director: Adityam Saikia |
27. | Best Bengali Film
| Deep Fridge | Producer: Colors of Dream Entertainment
Director: Arjun Dutta |
28. | Best Gujarati Film | Vash | Producer: Big Box Series Pvt Ltd
K S Entertainment LLP
Director: Krishnadev Yagnik |
29. | Best Hindi Film
| Kathal: A Jackfruit Mystery | Producer: Netflix Entertainment Services Pvt. Ltd. Balaji Telefilms Ltd Sikhya Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.
Director: Yashowardhan Mishra
|
30. | Best Kannada Film
| Kandeelu - The Ray of Hope | Producer: Swastik Entertainment
Director: K Yashoda Prakash |
31. | Best Malayalam Film | Ullozhukku (Undercurrent) | Producer: Unnilazer Ventures Pvt Ltd
Macguffin Pictures
Director: Christo Tomy |
32 | Best Marathi Film | Shyamchi Aai | Producer: Amruta Films
Director: Sujay Sunil Dahake |
33. | Best Odia Film
| Pushkara | Producer: Tarang Cine Productions
Director: Subhransu Das |
34. | Best Punjabi Film |
Godday Godday Chaa | Producer: VH Entertainment
Zee Studios
Director: Vijay Kumar Arora |
35. | Best Tamil Film
| Parking | Producer: Soldiers Factory
Passion Studio
Director: Ramkumar Balakrishnan |
36. | Best Telugu Film
| Bhagavanth Kesari (I Don’t Care) | Producer: Shine Screens (India) LLP
Director: Anil Ravipudi |
Best Feature Film in each of the Languages other than those specified in Schedule VIII of the Constitution |
37. | Best Garo Film | Rimdogittanga | Producer: Anna Films
Uncombed Buddha
Joicy Studio
Director: Dominic Megam Sangma |
39. | Best Tai Phake Film | Pai Tang Step Of Hope | Producer: Naba Kumar Bhuyan
Director: Prabal Khaund |
40. | Special Mention | Animal (Re-Recording Mixer)
(Hindi) | M R Rajakrishnan |
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