Touted to be one of the most prestigious honors in our country, the 70th National Awards were recently announced at the National Media Center in New Delhi on Friday. For the unknown, the ceremony to honor the winners in their presence will be held at a future date when the best Indian films produced across languages in the calendar year 2022 will be honoured by the President.
An array of feature and non-feature films certified by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) between January 1, 2022, and December 31, 2022, were eligible for contention.
This year’s jury included Chairperson of the Feature Film Jury, Rahul Rawail; Nila Madhab Panda, Chairperson of the Non-Feature Film Jury; and Gangadhar Mudalair, Chairperson of the Best Writing on Cinema Jury.
Here are some noteworthy winners-
Best Feature Film – Aatam (Malayalam)
Best Actor – Rishab Shetty for Kantara
Best Actress – Nithya Menen for Thiruchitrambalam and Manasi Parekh for Kutch Express
Best Director – Sooraj Barjatya for Uunchai
Best Supporting Actress –Neena Gupta for Uunchai
Best Supporting Actor – Pawan Malhotra for Fouja
Best Feature Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment – Kantara
Best Debut – Fouja, Pramod Kumar
Best Tamil Film – Ponniyin Selvan – Part 1
Best Telugu Film – Karthikeya 2
Best Kannada Film – KGF: Chapter 2
Best Marathi Film – Vaalvi
Best Hindi Film – Gulmohar
Best Tiwa Film – Sikaisal
Best Bengali Film – Kaberi Antardhan
Best Assamese Film – Emuthi Puthi
Best Punjabi Film – Baaghi Di Dhee
Best Odia Film – Daman
Best Malayalam Film – Saudi Velakka CC.225/2009
Special Mentions – Manoj Bajpayee in Gulmohar, and Sanjoy Salil Chowdhury for Kadhikan
Best Action Direction – KGF: Chapter 2
Best Choreography – Tiruchitrabalam
Best Lyrics – Fouja
Best Music Director – Pritam (Songs), AR Rahman (Background Score)
Best Makeup – Aparajito
Best Costumes – Kutch Express
Best Production Design – Aparajito
Best Editing – Aattam
Best Sound Design – Ponniyin Selvan – Part 1
Best Screenplay – Aattam
Best Dialogues – Gulmohar
Best Cinematography – Ponniyin Selvan – Part 1
Best Film in AVGC – Brahmastra
Best Non-Feature Film Promoting Social and Environmental Values – Kutch Express
As one knows, the ceremonies were delayed two years owing to the pandemic. The 69th National Film Awards, held in 2023, honoured the best Indian films certified in the calendar year 2021. Rocketry won the Best Feature Film honour, while Allu Arjun won the Best Actor award, and Alia Bhatt and Kriti Sanon shared the Best Actress honour.