Established in 1954, the National Film Awards is one of the most prestigious and much looked-forward-to events in the country. The Hon'ble President of India presents the awards culminating in showcasing of award-winning films for the public.
Since the first awards was given for the films of 1953, the National Film Awards have come a long way. Over the years the number of the awards has increased. Initially called ‘State Awards’, with two President's Gold Medals, two certificates of merit and silver medals for a dozen regional films, for the first six years, it was the practice to give the Regional Best Award to the National Best Film itself. Over the years the number of awards increased.
Separate awards for artists and technicians were instituted in 1968 for the films of 1967, Nargis Dutt and Uttam Kumar being the first actress and actor to get the Best Actress (then called Urvashi) and Best Actor (then called Bharat) Awards respectively.
The awards are given in three sections – Features, Non-Features and Best Writing on Cinema. While selection for the winners in Features and Non-Features is recognition of excellence in cinematic achievements in various categories, the ' Best Writing on Cinema' section focuses on encouraging the study and appreciation of cinema as an art form and dissemination of information and critical appreciation of the art form through the publication of various books, articles, reviews, newspaper coverage and studies.
The Awards aim at encouraging the production of films of aesthetic & technical excellence and social relevance contributing to the understanding and appreciation of cultures of different regions of the country in cinematic form, thereby also promoting unity and integrity of the nation.
The winners of the awards are decided by the Jury comprising persons distinguished in the field of cinema, other allied arts and humanities.
The winners of the 69th National Film Awards were announced at 5 pm on Thursday. While Allu Arjun bagged the Best Actor award for the film Pushpa: The Rise, Alia Bhatt and Kriti Sanon shared the award for Best Actress for the films Gangubai Kathiawadi and Mimi respectively. Rocketry: The Nambi Effect won the award for Best Feature Film. The Kashmir Files won the Nargis Dutt Award for Best Film on National Integration at the 69th National Film Awards.
Shoojit Sircar’s biographical historical drama Sardar Udham won several awards at the 69th National Film Awards. Apart from being named the Best Hindi Film, it also bagged Best Cinematography (Avik Mukhopadhyay), Best Audiography (Sinoy Joseph), Best Production Design (Dmitrii Malich and Mansi Dhruv Mehta) and Best Costume Design (Veera Kapur Ee) awards.
Every year, a national panel appointed by the government selects the winning entry, and the award ceremony is held in New Delhi, where the President of India presents the awards. This is followed by the inauguration of the National Film Festival, where award-winning films are screened for the public. Declared for films produced in the previous year across the country, they hold the distinction of awarding merit to the best of Indian cinema overall, as well as presenting awards for the best films in each region and language of the country.
Written By,
Freelance Content/Technical
Writer:- Ivan Edwin "MAXIMUS".
