President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday (September 23, 2025) presented the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2023 to actor Mohanlal and gave away awards to the other winners at the 71st National Film Awards ceremony.
“Cinema is the heartbeat of my soul. Jai Hind!” said Mr. Mohanlal after receiving the country’s highest cinema honour.
Congratulating all the winners, Ms. Murmu spoke about Mr. Mohanlal’s phenomenal contributions, stating that the accomplished actor effortlessly portrayed emotions ranging from the most gentle to the most intense.
She noted that good films focusing on women were being made and recognised. “We all see that women, at some level, struggle with patriarchy and prejudiced attitudes. Today, the award-winning films include stories of mothers shaping the moral character of their children, women uniting to challenge social norms…, the stories of courageous women who raise their voices against patriarchal structures,” she said, praising such filmmakers.
The President said there should be adequate representation of women in the central and regional panels of the jury. Given equal opportunities, she said, women could perform exceptionally well in all fields.
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Underscoring the importance of cinema in spreading awareness and sensitivity about social issues, particularly among the youth, Ms. Murmu said cinema should not only be popular but also serve a larger public interest.
Six child actors awarded
She commended everyone involved in the award ceremony for encouraging films that focus on children, especially girls. Six child actors were awarded this year.
“I am happy to see that all those involved in cinema share an Indian sensibility, an Indian consciousness, which unites all the regional communities. Just as Indian literature is created in several languages, Indian cinema is also evolving in various languages, dialects, regions, and local contexts. Our films are both local and national,” said the President.
At the 71st National Film Awards ceremony, the best actor award went to Shah Rukh Khan for Jawan and to Vikrant Massey for 12th Fail, which was also declared the best feature film. Rani Mukerji got the best actress award for her role in Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway.
The best direction award was bagged by Sudipto Sen for The Kerala Story (Hindi), which also won in the best cinematography (Prasantanu Mohapatra) category. P.V.N.S. Rohit and Shilpa Rao were adjudged the best male and female singers for the songs Premisthunna in Baby (Telugu) – which also had the best screenplay (Sai Rajesh Neelam) along with Parking (Tamil) – and Chaleya in in Jawan (Hindi).
Best debut film
The best debut film award went to Ashish Bende for his film Aatmapamphlet (Marathi), and the best popular film providing wholesome entertainment to Karan Johar-directorial Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. Meghna Gulzar’s Sam Bahadur was the best feature film promoting national, social, and environmental values.
Sudhakar Reddy Yakkanti-directorial Naal 2 (Marathi) was adjudged the best children’s film and Hanu-Man (Telugu) the best film in the animation, visual effects, gaming and comic category.
The best actor in supporting role award was shared by Vijayaraghavan for Pookkaalam (Malayalam) and Muthupettai Somu Bhaskar for Parking (Tamil). Urvashi won the best actress in supporting role award for Ullozhukku (Malayalam) along with Janki Bodiwala for Vash (Gujarati). The best child artiste award went to Sukriti Veni Bandreddi for Gandhi Tatha Chettu (Telugu), Kabir Khandare for Gypsy (Marathi), and Treesha Thosar, Shrinivas Pokale and Bhargav Jagtap for Naal 2.
Best music
The awards for sound design went to Animal (Hindi) (Sachin Sudhakaran and Hariharan Muralidharan); for editing to Midhun Murali in Pookkaalam (Malayalam); for production design to Mohandas in 2018: Everyone Is A Hero (Malayalam); and for music direction to G.V. Prakash Kumar in Vaathi (Tamil) and Harshavardhan Rameshwar in Animal (Hindi); and for lyrics to Karsarla Shyam for the song Ooru Palleturu in Balagam (Telugu).
The best choreography award was bagged by Vaibhavi Merchant for the song Dhindhora Baje Re in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani; and the best action direction award (stunt choreography) to Nandu Prudhvi for Hanu-Man. Sam Bahadur, a biopic on Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, topped in categories for make-up and costume, while Sanya Malhotra-starrer Kathal: A Jackfruit Mystery was adjudged the best Hindi film.
Deepak Kingrani was awarded as the best dialogue writer for Hindi film Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai.
Rongatapu 1982 (Assamese), Deep Fridge (Bengali), Parking (Tamil), Kandeelu (Kannada), Shamchi Aai (Marathi), Puskara (Odia), Godday GoddayChaa (Punjabi), and Bhagavanth Kesari (Telugu) won in the language film categories. Hindi film Flowering Man was adjudged the best in the non-feature film category.
Published – September 23, 2025 06:14 pm IST
