The 71st National Film Awards celebrated a landmark year for Indian cinema with a star-studded lineup of winners announced on August 1, 2025, at the National Media Centre in New Delhi. The ceremony, hailed as a tribute to artistic excellence across India’s film industries, recognized a wide spectrum of talent in performance, direction, music, and technical brilliance.
In a rare tie, the Best Actor award was jointly given to Bollywood legend Shah Rukh Khan for his electrifying role in Jawan and Vikrant Massey for his deeply moving performance in 12th Fail. Rani Mukerji earned the Best Actress honour for Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway, a powerful film that drew attention to the emotional turmoil of international child custody battles.
Kathal: A Jackfruit Mystery, a satirical crime comedy, was awarded Best Hindi Film, standing out for its sharp storytelling and social commentary. Regional cinema was also in the spotlight, with notable wins for Bhagavanth Kesari (Telugu), Parking (Tamil), Godday Godday Chaa (Punjabi), and Ullozhokku (Malayalam).
Technical categories reflected the industry’s evolving craft, with Hanu-Man (Telugu) winning Best Action Direction and Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani clinching Best Choreography. The songs of Vaathi (Tamil) earned Best Music Direction, while The Kerala Story was recognized for Best Cinematography. Animal took home awards for both Sound Design and Special Mention in re-recording and mixing.
In the playback categories, Jawan bagged Best Female Playback Singer, while Baby secured Best Male Playback Singer. Supporting roles were celebrated as well, with Urvashi (Ullozhokku) and Janaki (Vash) winning Best Supporting Actress, and Vijayaraghavan (Pookalam) and Muthupettai (Parking) sharing Best Supporting Actor.
The 2025 National Film Awards reaffirmed the creative vitality and diversity of Indian cinema, honouring works that resonated with both audiences and critics across the country and beyond.
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