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, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in India. It is one of several awards presented for feature films and awarded with the Golden Lotus (Swarna Kamal). The award is announced for films produced in a year across the country, in all Indian languages. As of 2017[update], the award comprises a Swarna Kamal, a certificate, and a cash prize of ₹ 2,50,000 and is presented to the producer and the director of the film.
| National Film Award for Best Feature Film | |
|---|---|
| National award for contributions to Indian Cinema | |
| 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) |
|
| First awarded | 1953 |
| Last awarded | 2021 |
| Most recent winner | Rocketry: The Nambi Effect |
| Highlights | |
| Total awarded | 67 |
| First winner | Shyamchi Aai |
| Website | http://dff.gov.in/  |
The National Film Awards were established in 1954 to "encourage production of the films of a high aesthetic and technical standard and educational and culture value" and also planned to include awards for regional films.[1] The awards were instituted as "State Awards for Films" but were renamed to "National Film Awards" at the 15th National Film Awards in 1967.[2] As of 2017[update], the award is one of six Swarna Kamal awards presented for the feature films. The award-winning film is included at the annual International Film Festival of India. Only the films made in any Indian language and silent films which are either shot on 35 mm, in a wider gauge, or digital format but released on a film or Video/Digital format and certified by the Central Board of Film Certification as a feature film or featurette are made eligible for the award.[3]
The inaugural award was named as "President's Gold Medal for the All India Best Feature Film" and was awarded to Marathi film, Shyamchi Aai (Shyam's Mother), produced and directed by Pralhad Keshav Atre and is based on Pandurang Sadashiv Sane's Marathi novel of the same name.[1]
of 2021 (2023), 68 feature films have been awarded the National Film Award for Best Feature Film:
Bengali 22, Malayalam 12, Hindi 12, Kannada
6, Marathi 5, Tamil 4, Assamese 2, Sanskrit 2, Gujarati 1, Beary 1 & Telugu 1. At the 26th National Film Awards (1978), no feature film was awarded with the Best Feature film award as the jury headed by filmmaker Chetan Anand scrutinised eighty films but did not consider any film to be "worthy of merit" and "measured up to the standard of excellence set forth by the jury".[4] At the 59th National Film Awards, two feature films shared the award; Marathi film Deool (Temple) and Beary film Byari.[5] Most recently, the award is presented to the film Rocketry: The Nambi Effect, directed by R. Madhavan.
Satyajit Ray is the most honoured director where six of his films—Pather Panchali (1955), Apur Sansar (1959), Charulata (1964), Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne (1968), Seemabaddha (1971), and Agantuk (1991)—won the award, followed Buddhadeb Dasgupta (five), Girish Kasaravalli and Mrinal Sen (four each), Shaji N. Karun (three), and Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Tapan Sinha, G. V. Iyer and Priyadarshan (two each). As of 2022, the award was presented to the films of Eleven debutant directors; Satyajit Ray (Pather Panchali, 1955),[6] Adoor Gopalakrishnan (Swayamvaram, 1972),[7] M. T. Vasudevan Nair (Nirmalyam, 1973),[8] Girish Kasaravalli (Ghatashraddha, 1977),[9] Shaji N Karun (Piravi, 1988),[10] Sandeep Sawant (Shwaas, 2003),[11] Salim Ahamed (Adaminte Makan Abu, 2010),[12] Suveeran (Byari, 2011),[13] Anand Gandhi (Ship of Theseus, 2013),[14] Chaitanya Tamhane (Court, 2015), Abhishek Shah[15][16] ( Hellaro[17] 2018). Five films awarded with the Best Feature film award were also the Indian submission for the Academy Award for the Best Foreign Language Film; Apur Sansar (1959), Shwaas (2004), Adaminte Makan Abu (2011), Court (2015) and Village Rockstars (2018) .[18] Adi Shankaracharya (1983), the first film made in Sanskrit language,[19] and Byari (2011), the first film made in Beary language,[13] won the award at the 31st National Film Awards and 59th National Film Awards, respectively.
Awards edit
Since its inception in 1953, the producer of the film is awarded with the gold medal and a certificate.[1] 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),[20] to ₹ 50,000 at the 28th National Film Awards (1980),[21] to ₹ 2,50,000 at the 54th National Film Awards (2006).[22][23]
From 1953 till 1956,[1][24] the director of the film was awarded with the Gold medal which was later changed in 1957 to a cash prize of ₹ 5,000.[22] From 1967 till 1973,[2][25] a plaque was also awarded to the director and cash prize was revised to ₹ 10,000 in 1970.[20] At the 22nd National Film Awards (1974),[26] the award for the director was changed to Rajat Kamal (Silver Lotus) and a cash prize of ₹ 15,000 which was later revised to ₹ 20,000 at the 25th National Film Awards (1977).[27] Since 28th National Film Awards (1980),[21] the director is awarded with the Swarna Kamal and a cash prize of ₹ 25,000 which was later revised to ₹ 50,000 at the 28th National Film Awards (1980),[21] to ₹ 2,50,000 at the 54th National Film Awards (2006).[23]
In 1973 and 1974, the lead actor and actress of the film were also awarded. P. J. Antony and Sumithra received a souvenir for Malayalam film Nirmalyam at the 21st National Film Awards (1973).[25] Antony was also awarded the Best Actor, then known as the "Bharat Award for the Best Actor". Utpal Dutt and Gita Sen were awarded with a medallion for Bengali Film Chorus at 22nd National Film Awards (1974).[26]
Winners edit
Films in the following languages have won the Best Feature Film award:
| Indicates a joint award for that year |
| List of films, showing the year (award ceremony), language(s), producer(s), director(s) and citation | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film(s) | Language(s) | Producer(s) | Director(s) | Citation | Refs. |
| 1953 (1st) | Shyamchi Aai | Marathi | Pralhad Keshav Atre | Pralhad Keshav Atre | – | [1] |
| 1954 (2nd) | Mirza Ghalib | Hindi | Sohrab Modi | Sohrab Modi | – | [28] |
| 1955 (3rd) | Pather Panchali | Bengali | Government of West Bengal | Satyajit Ray | – | [29] |
| 1956 (4th) | Kabuliwala | Bengali | Charuchitra | Tapan Sinha | – | [24] |
| 1957 (5th) | Do Aankhen Barah Haath | Hindi | V. Shantaram | V. Shantaram | – | [22] |
| 1958 (6th) | Sagar Sangamey | Bengali | De Luxe Film Distributors | Debaki Bose | – | [30] |
| 1959 (7th) | Apur Sansar | Bengali | Satyajit Ray Productions | Satyajit Ray | – | [31] |
| 1960 (8th) | Anuradha | Hindi | • Hrishikesh Mukherjee • L. B. Thakur | Hrishikesh Mukherjee | – | [32] |
| 1961 (9th) | Bhagini Nivedita | Bengali | Aurora Film Corporation | Bijoy Bose | – | [33] |
| 1962 (10th) | Dada Thakur | Bengali | Shyamlal Jalan | Sudhir Mukherjee | – | [34] |
| 1963 (11th) | Shehar Aur Sapna | Hindi | Naya Sansar | Khwaja Ahmad Abbas | – | [35] |
| 1964 (12th) | Charulata | Bengali | R. D. Bansal | Satyajit Ray | – | [36] |
| 1965 (13th) | Chemmeen | Malayalam | Babu Ismail Settu | Ramu Kariat | – | [37] |
| 1966 (14th) | Teesri Kasam | Hindi | Shailendra | Basu Bhattacharya | – | [38] |
| 1967 (15th) | Hatey Bazarey | Bengali | Asim Dutta | Tapan Sinha | – | [2] |
| 1968 (16th) | Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne | Bengali | • Nepal Dutta • Asim Dutta | Satyajit Ray | – | [39] |
| 1969 (17th) | Bhuvan Shome | Hindi | Mrinal Sen Productions | Mrinal Sen | – | [40] |
| 1970 (18th) | Samskara | Kannada | Pattabhirama Reddy | Pattabhirama Reddy | – | [20] |
| 1971 (19th) | Seemabaddha | Bengali | • Bharat Shamsher • Jang Bahadur Rana | Satyajit Ray | – | [41] |
| 1972 (20th) | Swayamvaram | Malayalam | Adoor Gopalakrishnan | Adoor Gopalakrishnan | – | [42] |
| 1973 (21st) | Nirmalyam[a] | Malayalam | M. T. Vasudevan Nair | M. T. Vasudevan Nair | – | [25] |
| 1974 (22nd) | Chorus[b] | Bengali | Mrinal Sen Productions | Mrinal Sen | – | [26] |
| 1975 (23rd) | Chomana Dudi | Kannada | Praja Films | B. V. Karanth | – | [43] |
| 1976 (24th) | Mrigayaa | Hindi | Uday Bhaskar International | Mrinal Sen | – | [44] |
| 1977 (25th) | Ghatashraddha | Kannada | Sadanand Suvarna | Girish Kasaravalli | For lifting the creative cinema of that region to new levels of artistic excellence, for delicacy of treatment and subtle use of the film medium, for the shifting perspective through which the tragic solution is revealed, for projecting the painful, tremulous transition from innocence to experience, for searing intellectual honesty, for the fusion of all the elements into a form so distinctive as to declare it a masterpiece. | [27] |
| 1978 (26th) | No Award | [4] | ||||
| 1979 (27th) | Shodh | Hindi | Sitakant Misra | Biplab Roy Choudhary | – | [45] |
| 1980 (28th) | Akaler Shandhaney | Bengali | D. K. Films | Mrinal Sen | For brilliantly recreating the tragedy of the 1943 Bengal famine and focussing on the disturbing continuity of the conditions which created it, for the cinematic excellence of the film which explores human experience at the different levels and for the consummate artistry with which the complexity of the social-economic situation is fused into a poignant statement. | [21] |
| 1981 (29th) | Dakhal | Bengali | West Bengal Film Industry | Gautam Ghose | For the visual eloquence with which it portrays the travails of a daughter of a soil courageously fighting for a social justice in the face of all odds and for the remarkable ability of its young director who writes the screenplay, handles the camera, scores the music and directs the film in a poetic manner. | [46] |
| 1982 (30th) | Chokh | Bengali | • Department of Information, Cultural Affairs India • Government of West Bengal | Utpalendu Chakrabarty | For its courage in exposing an aspect of contemporary reality which has great social relevance and for doing so with passion and integrity. | [47] |
| 1983 (31st) | Adi Shankaracharya | Sanskrit | NFDC | G. V. Iyer | For its dedication, depth and power and the impressive skill with which it captures the Indian philosophical tradition. | [48] |
| 1984 (32nd) | Damul | Hindi | Prakash Jha Productions | Prakash Jha | – | [49] |
| 1985 (33rd) | Chidambaram | Malayalam | G. Aravindan | G. Aravindan | For providing rare cinematic experience while delineating the inner conflicts and suffering of an individual set against the backdrop of the elements. | [50] |
| 1986 (34th) | Tabarana Kathe | Kannada | Girish Kasaravalli | Girish Kasaravalli | For an extremely sensitive probe into the anguish of a helpless individual caught in a bureaucratic web, depicted with great feeling and expertise as he waits for his pension, which arrives too late. | [51] |
| 1987 (35th) | Halodhia Choraye Baodhan Khai | Assamese | • Sailadhar Baruah • Jahnu Barua | Jahnu Barua | For its mastery of cinematic form and the totality of its film craft and for its authentic depiction of the Indian rural problem and for the life affirmating human dignity it portrays in the face of the most trying social circumstances. | [52] |
| 1988 (36th) | Piravi | Malayalam | Film Folks | Shaji N. Karun | For creattive evocation of human pathos with refined cinematic sensitivity. | [53] |
| 1989 (37th) | Bagh Bahadur | Bengali | Buddhadeb Dasgupta | Buddhadeb Dasgupta | For its portrayal of the steady destruction of rural folk traditions at the hands of a cheap and showy urban culture in the form a cinematically vibrant and heroic classical tragedy. | [54] |
| 1990 (38th) | Marupakkam | Tamil | NFDC | K. S. Sethumadhavan | For striking a balance between the existing traditional values and the modern values that are infused subsequently, and for treating the subject with the highest standards or aesthetic excellence. | [55] |
| 1991 (39th) | Agantuk | Bengali | NFDC | Satyajit Ray | For its masterly treatment of an unusual subject investing it with humour, suspense and drama accomplishing remarkable insight into human behavior. | [56] |
| 1992 (40th) | Bhagwat Gita | Sanskrit | T. Subbarami Reddy | G. V. Iyer | For successfully translating immortal philosophy of the Bhagavad Gita into a cinematic idiom. | [57] |
| 1993 (41st) | Charachar | Bengali | • Gita Gope • Shankar Gope | Buddhadeb Dasgupta | For its poetic and typical representation of the eternal human longing for liberation and man's alienation from Nature. | [58] |
| 1994 (42nd) | Unishe April | Bengali | Renu Roy | Rituparno Ghosh | For a complex and impeccable rendition of fragmenting family relationships in urban India. The bond between a mother and daughter is extended to a defined space and time, and a drama immaculately constructed. | [59] |
| 1995 (43rd) | Kathapurushan | Malayalam | Adoor Gopalakrishnan | Adoor Gopalakrishnan | For the remarkable portrayal of the individual born on the eve of Independence. The film gives an insight into the socio-political evolution of the post-independent India through the individual with outstanding cinematic qualities and universal appeal. | [60] |
| 1996 (44th) | Lal Darja | Bengali | • Chitrani Lahiri • Dulal Roy | Buddhadeb Dasgupta | For its poetic presentation and exploration of complexities of human relationship in a contemporary urban milieu. | [61] |
| 1997 (45th) | Thaayi Saheba | Kannada | Jayamala | Girish Kasaravalli | For its challenging portrayal of one woman who carries the burden of traditional constraints and restrictions of society and learns to overcome them with courage, dignity, sacrifice. In the process, she speaks for the emancipation of women. | [62] |
| 1998 (46th) | Samar | Hindi | • Shyam Benegal • Sahyadri Films • NFDC | Shyam Benegal | For the innovative and human manner in which the director structures and presents a continuing social evil. | [63] |
| 1999 (47th) | Vanaprastham | Malayalam | Pranavam Arts | Shaji N. Karun | For its multi layered treatment of issues like caste system, patronage to the arts, Guru Shishya Parampara, and the identity crisis of a performing artiste. | [64] |
| 2000 (48th) | Shantham | Malayalam | P. V. Gangadharan | Jayaraj | For addressing the very contemporary issue of political rivalry and violence in our society in an unusually imaginative way. The language of the film goes beyond conventional narrative for appeal to calmness and good sense. | [65] |
| 2001 (49th) | Dweepa | Kannada | Soundarya | Girish Kasaravalli | For the film combines integrity, creativity and aesthetics in its depiction of both the dilemmas and the spirit of a family who defy logic and weather to hold on to their roots. | [66] |
| 2002 (50th) | Mondo Meyer Upakhyan | Bengali | Arya Bhattacharya | Buddhadeb Dasgupta | For its poetic exploration of human and social realities concerning people on the fringes of society. | [67] |
| 2003 (51st) | Shwaas | Marathi | Arun Nalawade | Sandeep Sawant | For its sensitive and moving portrayal of the relationship between a grandfather and his grandson when the child is about to lose his vision. | [68] |
| 2004 (52nd) | Page 3 | Hindi | Bobby Pushkarna | Madhur Bhandarkar | For a complex and daring attempt which exposes the shallow world of Page 3 in a manner which is both savagely satirical yet gently ironical. | [69] |
| 2005 (53rd) | Kaalpurush | Bengali | Jhamu Sughand | Buddhadeb Dasgupta | For a rare lyrical style and a unique cohesion of narrative structure and characters that allow it to flow on different planes. | [70] |
| 2006 (54th) | Pulijanmam | Malayalam | M. G. Vijay | Priyanandanan | For a layered film that uses metaphors to address global and local issues of contemporary society. | [23] |
| 2007 (55th) | Kanchivaram | Tamil | Percept Picture Company | Priyadarshan | For presenting a rare portrayal of Kanchi's silk weaver community, and the internal struggle of a weaver caught between his ideals and personal dreams. A vibrant story and technical excellence blend to create a total cinematic experience. | [71] |
| 2008 (56th) | Antaheen | Bengali | Screenplay Films | Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury | For lyrical blend of technical devices in the right proportion to depict shifting human relationships in an urban scenario. | [72] |
| 2009 (57th) | Kutty Srank | Malayalam | Reliance Big Pictures | Shaji N. Karun | For its vision and cinematic craft that express the different perspectives of three women about the truth of the man in their lives. | [73] |
| 2010 (58th) | Adaminte Makan Abu | Malayalam | • Salim Ahamed • Ashraf Bedi | Salim Ahamed | For a simple yet evocative articulation of humanist values that frees matters of faith from the constrictions of narrow parochialism. The concerns of Abu, son of Adam, are timeless and universal in their scope. | [74] |
| 2011 (59th) | Deool | Marathi | A | Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni | For its witty, satirical and penetrative account of the politics involved in the commercialization of religion in India. Through a wonderfully authentic depiction of village life, mentality and gesture, Deool has a social, religious and commercial sweep, even as it individualizes each of its characters and endows them with a language and space of their own. The film ironically shows the wholehearted acceptance of commodified and clamorous religiosity in a land plagued by all the serious problems the country faces today, and it does so with laughter that is only slightly tinged with cynicism. | [5] |
| Byari | Beary | Altaaf Hussain | Suveeran | For a powerful engagement with religious personal law handled with sensitivity and urgency. Through its female protagonist, writer director Suveeran, poignantly and dramatically conveys the trauma of a woman who has to deal with unjust religious strictures. The film calls for a review of the practices that continue to control the lives of many women in this country. | ||
| 2012 (60th) | Paan Singh Tomar | Hindi | UTV Software Communications | Tigmanshu Dhulia | Powerful presentation of a true life story which highlights the urgent need of a social support system for sportspersons especially in rural India. Sleek and sensitive handling of a not- too-common subject with remarkable aplomb. The movie leaves the viewer with a realization of the decadent value system prevalent in the society. Yet there is a beacon of hope! | [75] |
| 2013 (61st) | Ship of Theseus | • English • Hindi | Recyclewala Films Pvt. Ltd. | Anand Gandhi | A quietly powerful film of an unusual photographer, an erudite Jain monk and a young stock broker told through different segments which finally unites them through a strange circumstance. In the process the film depicts issues of intuitive brilliance, metaphysical belief and intricate morality in a world full of contradictions. | [76] |
| 2014 (62nd) | Court | • Marathi • Hindi • Gujarati • English | Zoo Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. | Chaitanya Tamhane | Court is a powerful and stark depiction of the mundaneness of judicial procedure revealed brilliantly by the film's form, forcing us to reflect on the heartwrenching insensitivity of institutional structures. | [77] |
| 2015 (63rd) | Baahubali: The Beginning | Telugu | • Shobu Yarlagadda • Arka Media Works (P) LTD. | S. S. Rajamouli | An imaginative film and monumental by its production values and cinematic brilliance in creating a fantasy world on screen. | [78] |
| 2016 (64th) | Kaasav | Marathi | • Sumitra Bhave • Sunil Sukthankar • Mohan Agashe | • Sumitra Bhave • Sunil Sukthankar | In appreciation of the perfect blending of an environmental behaviour and a personal one in a poignantly beautiful cinematic way. | [79] |
| 2017 (65th) | Village Rockstars | Assamese | Rima Das | Rima Das | ||
| 2018 (66th) | Hellaro | Gujarati | Saarthi Productions LLP | Abhishek Shah | The film is a strong statement on women empowerment against patriarchal Society. | [80] |
| 2019 (67th) | Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea | Malayalam | Antony Perumbavoor | Priyadarshan | A grand portrayal of the life of sixteenth century historic icon Kunjali Marakkar and a dramatic depiction of multicultural phenomena of the times, human relations, patriotism and valour. | [81] |
| 2020 (68th) | Soorarai Pottru | Tamil | • Suriya • Jyothika • Rajsekar Pandian • Guneet Monga | Sudha Kongara | For an outstanding portrayal of the journey of an adventurous entrepreneur, who heralded the low cost aviation industry in the country. | [82] |
| 2021 (69th) | Rocketry: The Nambi Effect | Tamil Hindi English | Rocketry Entertainment LLP | R. Madhavan | [83] | |
Explanatory notes edit
- ^ P. J. Antony (Leading Actor) and Sumithra (Leading Actress) were awarded with Medallion.
- ^ Utpal Dutt (Leading Actor) and Gita Sen (Leading Actress) were awarded with Medallion.
References edit
External links edit
- Official website of Directorate of Film Festivals, India