The 69th National Film Awards in the national capital on Tuesday saw a confluence of generations and sartorial styles as President Droupadi Murmu honoured headline-making actors, from Waheeda Rehman to Alia Bhatt.
Rehman was conferred the Dadasaheb Phalke Lifetime Achievement Award for her contributions to Indian cinema. As elegant as ever, she appeared in a cream and golden-coloured saree, and accessorised it with a green necklace and matching earrings, tying her hair in a bun.
The President congratulated Rehman and said she had established herself at the pinnacle of the industry with her art and personality.
Speaking about the Awards, the President said: “The award ceremony paints a picture of the diversity of India and the unity inherent in it. The talented people present at the ceremony have given meaningful expressions to languages, regional characteristics, social beliefs, achievements and problems.”
The President expressed her confidence that in a country rich in talent, people associated with cinema will continue to set new standards of excellence and that films will play an important role in building a developed India.
The National Award for Best Hindi Film was given to the biographical historical drama film ‘Sardar Udham’ (2021). It was received by the film’s director Shoojit Sircar. The movie stars Vicky Kaushal in the titular role.
‘Sardar Udham’ also bagged the awards for Best Cinematography (Avik Mukhopadhayay), Best Production Design, Best Costume Designer and Best Audiography.
Alia received the award for Best Actress for her performance in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’. She wore her wedding saree to the ceremony. She was accompanied by her husband and actor Ranbir Kapoor, who was busy taking her pictures.
Kriti Sanon also bagged the award for Best Actress for her performance in ‘Mimi’. The actress looked gorgeous in a cream and multi-hued saree with a golden border. She tied her hair in a bun, and opted for a neutral makeup look.
Tollywood star Allu Arjun bagged the honour for Best Actor for ‘Pushpa: The Rise’. He wore a traditional white outfit. The movie has also received the award for Best Music Direction, which was given to Devi Sri Prasad.
R. Madhavan’s directorial debut ‘Rocketry: The Nambi Effect’ bagged the award for Best Feature Film.
S.S. Rajamouli’s blockbuster ‘RRR’ was conferred the award for ‘Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. The movie also won the award for ‘Best Music Direction, which went to M.M. Keeravaani.
The epic action drama film ‘RRR’ also got the awards for Best Special Effects, Best Choreography, and Best Action Direction Award (Stunt Choreography).
The award for Best Editing was given to acclaimed filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali for the movie ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’. The film also bagged the awards for Best Screenplay and Best Make-up Artist.
Shreya Ghoshal bagged the award for Best Female Playback Singer for the song ‘Maayava Chaayavaa’ from the Tamil movie ‘Iravin Nizhal’. And Kaala Bhairava picked up the award for the Best Male Playback Singer for the song ‘Komuram Bheemudo’ from the movie ‘RRR’, the Telugu version.
The Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration was given to ‘The Kashmir Files’ directed by Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri. Pallavi Joshi bagged the award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in ‘The Kashmir Files; Pankaj Tripathi received the award for Best Supporting Actor for ‘Mimi’.
The award for Best Child Artist was given to Bhavin Rabari for his performance in the Gujarati film, ‘Chello Show’.
The Special Jury Award went to the Sidharth Malhotra-starrer movie ‘Shershaah’. Director Vishnu Varadhan received the honour.