By Editor
The prestigious 69th National Film Awards, celebrating excellence in Indian cinema from the year 2021, unveiled its list of winners at the National Media Center in New Delhi. The ceremony, where the President will honor the best Indian films produced across languages, is scheduled for a future date. To be eligible for contention, films, both feature and non-feature, must have been certified by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) between January 1, 2021, and December 31, 2021.
Here’s a complete list of the winners at the 69th National Film Awards:
Best Feature Film: “Rocketry”
Best Director: Nikhil Mahajan for “Godavari”
Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment: “RRR”
Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration: “The Kashmir Files”
Best Actor: Allu Arjun for “Pushpa”
Best Actress: Alia Bhatt for “Gangubai Kathiawadi” and Kriti Sanon for “Mimi”
Best Supporting Actor: Pankaj Tripathi for “Mimi”
Best Supporting Actress: Pallavi Joshi for “The Kashmir Files”
Best Child Artist: Bhavin Rabari for “Chhello Show”
Best Screenplay (Original): Shahi Kabir for “Nayattu”
Best Screenplay (Adapted): Sanjay Leela Bhansali & Utkarshini Vashishtha for “Gangubai Kathiawadi”
Best Dialogue Writer: Utkarshini Vashishtha & Prakash Kapadia for “Gangubai Kathiawadi”
Best Music Director (Songs): Devi Sri Prasad for “Pushpa”
Best Music Direction (Background Music): MM Keeravaani for “RRR”
Best Male Playback Singer: Kaala Bhairava for “RRR”
Best Female Playback Singer: Shreya Ghoshal for “Iravin Nizhal”
Best Lyrics: Chandrabose for “Konda Polam’s Dham Dham Dham”
Best Hindi Film: “Sardar Udham”
Best Kannada Film: “777 Charlie”
Best Malayalam Film: “Home”
Best Gujarati Film: “Chhello Show”
Best Tamil Film: “Kadaisi Vivasayi”
Best Telugu Film: “Uppena”
Best Maithili Film: “Samanantar”
Best Mishing Film: “Boomba Ride”
Best Marathi Film: “Ekda Kaay Zala”
Best Bengali Film: “Kalkokkho”
Best Assamese Film: “Anur”
Best Meiteilon Film: “Eikhoigi Yum”
Best Odia Film: “Pratikshya”
Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director: “Meppadiyan” by Vishnu Mohan
Best Film on Social Issues: “Anunaad – The Resonance”
Best Film on Environment Conservation/Preservation: “Aavasavyuham”
Best Children’s Film: “Gandhi and Co”
Best Audiography (Location Sound Recordist): Arun Asok & Sonu K P for “Chavittu”
Best Audiography (Sound Designer): Aneesh Basu for “Jhilli”
Best Audiography (Re-recordist of the final mixed track): Sinoy Joseph for “Sardar Udham”
Best Choreography: Prem Rakshith for “RRR”
Best Cinematography: Avik Mukhopadhayay for “Sardar Udham”
Best Costume Designer: Veera Kapur Ee for “Sardar Udham”
Best Special Effects: Srinivas Mohan for “RRR”
Best Production Design: Dmitrii Malich and Mansi Dhruv Mehta for “Sardar Udham”
Best Editing: Sanjay Leela Bhansali for “Gangubai Kathiawadi”
Best Make-up: Preetisheel Singh for “Gangubai Kathiawadi”
Best Stunt Choreography: King Soloman for “RRR”
Special Jury Award: “Shershaah” by Vishnuvardhan
Special Mention:
- Late Shri Nallandi for “Kadaisi Vivasayi”
- Aranya Gupta & Bithan Biswas for “Jhilli”
- Indrans for “Home”
- Jahanara Begum for “Anur”
Best Non-feature film: “Ek Tha Gaon”
Best Direction (Non-feature film): Bakul Matiyani for “Smile Please”
Best Debut Non-Feature Film of a Director: “Paanchika” by Ankit Kothari
Best Anthropological Film: “Fire on Edge”
Best Biographical Film: “Rukhu Matir Dukhu Majhi” and “Beyond Blast”
Best Arts Films: “T.N. Krishnan Bow Strings to Divine”
Best Science & Technology Films: “Ethos of Darkness”
Best Promotional Film: “Endangered Heritage ‘Warli Art’”
Best Environment Film (Non-feature film): “Munnam Valavu”
Best Film on Social Issues (Non-feature film): “Mithu Di” and “Three Two One”
Best Investigative Film: “Looking For Challan”
Best Exploration Film: “Ayushman”
Best Educational Film: “Sirpigalin Sirpangal”
Best Short Fiction Film: “Dal Bhat”
Best Animation Film: “Kandittundu”
Best Film on Family Values: “Chand Saanse”
Best Cinematography (Non-feature film): Bittu Rawat for “Pataal”
Best Audiography (Re-recordist of the final mixed track) (Non-feature film): Unni krishnan for “Ek Tha Gaon”
Best Production Sound Recordist (Location/Sync Sound) (Non-feature film): Suruchi Sharma for “Meen Raag”
Best Editing (Non-feature film): Abhro Banerjee for “If Memory Serves Me Right”
Best Music Direction (Non-feature film): Ishaan Divecha for “Succelent”
Best Narration/Voice Over (Non-feature film): Kulada Kumar Bhattacharjee for “Hathibondhu”
Special Mention (Non-feature film):
- Aniruddha Jatkar for “Baale Bangara”
- Srikanth Deva for “Karuvarai”
- Sweta Kumar Das for “The Healing Touch”
- Ram Kamal Mukherjee for “Ek Duaa”
Special Jury Award (Non-feature film): Shekhar Bapu Rankhambe for “Rekha”
Best Book on Cinema: “Music by Laxmikant Pyarelal: The Incredibly Melodious Journey” by Rajiv Vijayakar
Best Film Critic: Purushothama Charyulu
Best Film Critic (Special Mention): Subramanya Bandoor
The 69th National Film Awards celebrate the remarkable achievements of the Indian film industry and its talented individuals. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, these awards were delayed by two years, honoring films released in 2021. These awards acknowledge the exceptional work across different languages and regional cinemas, making it a significant event in the Indian film calendar.
Established in 1954, the National Film Awards are overseen by the Directorate of Film Festivals. While the first-ever Best Feature Film winner was the Marathi film Shyamchi Aai, the most awarded film in the history of the National Film Awards remains Lagaan, which received eight honours in 2002. In addition to the nationwide honours, the event also highlights best films across regional languages, and presents industry legends with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for lifetime achievement. Last year’s winner was superstar Rajinikanth.
