New Delhi: The winners of the 71st National Film Awards for 2023 were officially announced in Delhi. The Jury submitted the final list to Union Information & Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, in the presence of Minister of State L. Murugan and Secretary Sanjay Jaju. Veteran filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker, along with other jury members, revealed the awardees across 15 categories.
The Best Hindi Film award went to Kathal: A Jackfruit Mystery, directed by Yashowardhan Mishra, while the Best Telugu Film was awarded to Bhagavanth Kesari (I Don’t Care), directed by Anil Ravipudi.
Other regional winners included Shyamchi Aai (Marathi, directed by Sujay Sunil Dahake), Rimdogittanga (Rapture) (Garo, directed by Dominic Megam Sangma), and Ullozhukku (Undercurrent) (Malayalam, directed by Christo Tomy).
In the music categories, the Best Music Direction (Songs) award went to the Tamil film Vaathi, and the Best Background Music was awarded to the Hindi film Animal.
Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani (Hindi) received the Best Choreography award, credited to Vaibhavi Merchant, while The Kerala Story (Hindi) won Best Cinematography for the work of Prasantanu Mohapatra.
🎬 71st National Film Awards, 2023 announced! 🏆
Let’s have a look at the awardees.#NFA #NationalFilmAwards #IndianCinema pic.twitter.com/WEfemKq7yW
— Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (@MIB_India) August 1, 2025
In one of the most anticipated categories, Shah Rukh Khan won his first National Award for his role in Jawan. Vikrant Massey also received the Best Actor honor for his performance in 12th Fail. On the female front, Rani Mukerji was awarded Best Actress for her powerful portrayal in Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway.
The Best Non-Feature Film award went to Flowering Man (Hindi), directed by Soumyajit Ghosh Dastidar. The award for Best Non-Feature Film (up to 30 minutes) was given to Giddh The Scavenger (Hindi) by Manish Saini, while The Silent Epidemic (Hindi), directed by Akshat Gupta, won for promoting social and environmental values.
Tamil film Little Wings won Best Cinematography in the non-feature section. Special Mention awards were given to Nekal – Chronicle of the Paddy Man And The Sea and Seven Villages.
According to the Directorate of Film Festivals under the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the National Film Awards are designed to encourage films that demonstrate aesthetic and technical excellence, as well as social relevance.
The announcement of this year’s winners highlights the diversity and creative strength of Indian cinema across languages and formats.
