The 68th National Film Awards were announced on Friday afternoon at the National Media Centre in New Delhi, with the honours for films from the year of 2020. The event is organised by the Directorate of Film Festivals, which comes under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Best Feature Film award has been bagged by the Tamil movie ‘Soorarai Pottru’ directed by Sudha Kongara. ‘Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior’ grabs Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment.
Best Actor award for 2020 is shared between Suriya for ‘Soorarai Pottru’ and Ajay Devgn for the Hindi movie ‘Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior’. Manoj Muntashir has won the award for Best Lyrics for the Hindi movie ‘Saina’.
The Jury for the 68th National Film Awards announced the winners for the year 2020 here today. Ahead of the announcement, the Chairperson and other Jury members called on the Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shri Anurag Thakur and presented him with the selections for the Awards. Shri Thakur has congratulated all the winners and said 2020 was a challenging year for films due to the COVID pandemic, yet the nominations consisted of great works. The Minister also thanked the Jury for diligently going through the entries and selecting the best for the awards.
The Jury comprises eminent filmmakers and personalities from across the Indian cine world.
- Sh Vipul Shah, Chair Feature Film Jury
- Sh Chitrartha Singh, Chair Non-Feature Jury
- Sh Anant Vijay, Chair Best Writing of Cinema
- Sh Priyadarshanand,Chair Most Film Friendly State
Madhya Pradesh wins Most Film Friendly State award while Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh get Special Mention. ‘The Longest Kiss’ by Kishwar Desai wins Best Book on Cinema for the year while Malayalam book ‘MT Anunahvangalude Pusthakam’ and Odia book ‘Kali Paine Kalira Cinema’ win special mention.
Here is the full list of winners:
Best Feature Film: Soorarai Pottru (Tamil); Producer: 2D Entertainment Pvt.Ltd; Director: Sudha Kongara
Best Actor: Soorarai Pottru (Tamil); Actor: Suriya & Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior (Hindi); Actor: Ajay Devgn
Best Actress: Soorarai Pottru (Tamil); Actress: Aparrna Balamurali
Best Direction: AK Ayyappanum Koshiyum (Malayalam); Director: Sachidanandan KR
Best Supporting Actor: AK Ayyappanum Koshiyum (Malayalam); Supporting Actor: Biju Menon
Best Supporting Actress: Sivaranjaniyum Innum Sila Pengallum (Tamil); Supporting Actress: Lakshmi Priya Chandramouli
Best Children’s Film: Sumi (Marathi); Producer: Harshall Kamat Entertainment; Director: Amol Vasant Gole
Best Film on Environment Conservation/Preservation: Taledanda (Beheading a Life )(Kannada) Producer: Krupanidhi Kreations; Director: Praveen Krupakar
Best Film on Social Issues (Themes such as prohibition,women and child empowerment,social evils like dowry, drug abuse, empowerment of differently-abled people, tribal and indigenous people etc.): Funeral (Marathi); Producer: Before After Entertainment; Director: Vivek Dubey
Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment: Tanhaji :The Unsung Warrior (Hindi); Producer: Ajay Devgn FFilms; Director: Om Raut
Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director: Mandela (Tamil) ; Producer: YNOT Studios; Director: Madonne Ashwin
Best Screenplay: Soorarai Pottru (Tamil) Screenplay writer (original): Shalini Usha Nair & Sudha Kongara
Mandela (Tamil); Dialogue Writer: Madonne Ashwin
Best Cinematography: Avijatrik (The Wanderlust of Apu) (Bengali); Cameraman: Supratim Bhol
Best Female Playback Singer: AK Ayyappanum Koshiyum (Malayalam); Singer: Nanchamma
Best Male Playback Singer: Mi Vasantrao (I Am Vasantrao) (Marathi); Singer: Rahul Deshpande
Best Child Artist: Tak-Tak (Marathi); Child Artist: Anish Mangesh Gosavi; Sumi (Marathi); Child Artist : Akanksha Pingle & Divyesh Indulkar
Most film friendly state: Madhya Pradesh.
This year, 305 feature films were received as entries in 30 languages; and 148 non-feature films in 20 languages were received from all over the country.
Best book on cinema: The longest kiss, by Kishwar Desai
Best book on cinema (Special Mention): MIT Anubhavangalude Pusthakam, Kali Paine Kalira Cinema
Non-feature Film Awards
Best Voice-over/ Narration: Shobha Tharoor Sreenivasan, Rhapsody of Rains – Monsoons of Kerala (English)
Best Music Direction: Vishal Bhardwaj for 1232 Kms: Marenge Toh Wahin Jaakar
Best Editing: Anadi Athaley for Borderlands
Best On-Location Sound Recordist: Sandip Bhati & Pradeep Lekhwar, Jadui Jangal for Magical Forest
Best Audiography: Ajit Singh Rathore, Pearl of the Desert (Rajasthani)
Best Cinematography: Nikhil S Praveen for Shabdikkunna Kalappa
Best Direction: Oh That’s Bhanu (English, Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi)
Best Film on Family Values: Kumkumarchan (Worship of the Goddess) (Marathi)
Best Short Fiction Film: Kachichinithu
Special Jury Award: Admitted (Hindi and English) Director: Ojaswee Sharma
Best Investigative Film: The Saviour: Brig. Pritam Singh (Punjabi)
Best Exploration/Adventure Film: Wheeling the Ball (English and Hindi)
Best Educational Film: Dreaming of Words (Malayalam)
Best Film on Social Issues: Justice Delayed but Delivered
Best Film on Social Issues: Three Sisters (Bengali)
Best Environment Film: Manah Aru Manuh (Manas and People) (Assamese)
Best Promotional Film: Surmounting Challenges (English)
Best Science and Technology Films: On the brink season 2- Bats (English)
Best Arts and Culture Film: Naadada Navaneeta DR PT Venkateshkumar
Best Biographical Film: Pabung Syam (Manipuri)
Best Ethnographic Film: Mandal ke Bol (Hindi)
Best Debut Non-Feature Film of a Director: Pariah (Marathi and Hindi)
Best Non-Feature Film: Testimony of Ana
Feature Film Awards
Best Telugu Film: Colour Photo
Best Tamil Film: Sivaranjaniyum Innum Sila Pengallum
Best Malayalam Film: Thinkalazcha Nishchayam
Best Marathi Film: Gostha Eka Paithanichi
Best Kannada Film: Dollu
Best Hindi Film: Toolsidas Junior
Best Bengali Film: Avijatrik
Best Assamese Film: Bridge
Best Tulu Film: Jeetige
Best Dimasa Film: Semkhor
Best Haryanvi Film: Dada Lakhmi
Best Action Direction Award: AK Ayyappanum Koshiyum
Best Choreography: Natyam (Telugu)
Best Lyrics: Saina (Hindi)
Best Music Direction: Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo (Telugu) – (Songs): Thaman S
Best Background Score: Soorarai Pottru (Tamil) – GV Prakash Kumar
Best Make-up Artist: Natyam (Dance)(Telugu); Make-up Artist: TV Rambabu
Best Costume Designer: Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior(Hindi); Costume Designer: Nachiket Barve & Mahesh Sherla
Best Production Design: Kappela (Chapel) (Malayalam); Production Designer: Anees Nadodi
Best Editing: Sivaranjaniyum Innum Sila Pengallum (Tamil); Editor: Sreekar Prasad
Best Audiography: Dollu (Kannada); Location Sound Recordist (for sync sound films only): Jobin Jayan
Mi Vasantrao (I Am Vasantrao) (Marathi); Sound Designer: Anmol Bhave
Malik (Malayalam); Re- recordist of the final mixed track: Vishnu Govind & Sree Sankar
Special mentions: Semkhor (Dimasa), Vaanku (Malayalam), June (Marathi), Avwanchhit (Marathi) and Godakaath (Marathi), and Toolsidas Junior (Hindi)