71st National Film Awards 2025: Full List Of Winners
71st National Film Awards 2025: After A 30-year Wait, SRK Receives His First National Award: The 71st National Film Awards ceremony was held with grandeur at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, recognizing the finest in Indian cinema for films released between January 1 and December 31, 2023. This year’s event was marked by historic wins, emotional moments, and groundbreaking achievements in both feature and non-feature categories. President Droupadi Murmu presented the prestigious awards to the winners, in the presence of leading filmmakers and artists.
The 71st National Film Awards ceremony was held at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on Tuesday. President Draupadi Murmu presented the awards to the artists. Bollywood actors Shahrukh Khan and Vikrant Massey were awarded the Best Actor award. Shahrukh was honored for the film Jawaan and Vikrant for the film Dwadash Fel. Similarly, Rani Mukherjee was awarded the Best Actress award. ‘Pushkara’ was awarded as the best Odia film.
- Mohanlal was honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Lifetime Achievement Award, India’s highest cinematic honor, for his outstanding contribution to Indian cinema.
- Shah Rukh Khan won his first-ever National Award for Best Actor for Jawan, after a career spanning 33 years. The award was shared with Vikrant Massey for his powerful role in 12th Fail.
- Rani Mukerji won Best Actress for her emotional performance in Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway.
- Karan Johar’s Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani bagged the award for Best Popular Film.
- Dashxia Dam (Tech Achievement): In a parallel tech achievement, China completed a dam using AI and digital twin tech — a reminder of innovation not just in film but in global achievements.
Feature Film Category – Winners List
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Best Feature Film | 12th Fail |
| Best Popular Film | Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani |
| Best Children’s Film | Naal 2 (Marathi) |
| Best Debut Director | Ashish Bende (Atmapamphlet, Marathi) |
| Best Direction | Sudipto Sen (The Kerala Story) |
| Best Actor (Tie) | Shah Rukh Khan (Jawan), Vikrant Massey (12th Fail) |
| Best Actress | Rani Mukerji (Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway) |
| Best Supporting Actor | Vijay Raghavan (Pookkalam), Somu Bhaskar (Parking) |
| Best Supporting Actress | Urvashi (Ulluzhuku), Janaki Bodiwala (Vash) |
| Best Feature Film on National Integration / Social Values | Sam Bahadur |
| Best Child Artists | Sukriti Veni, Kabir Khandare, Trisha Tosar, Srinivas Pokle, Bhargav Jagpat |
| Best Male Playback Singer | PVNS Rohit (Baby, Telugu) |
| Best Female Playback Singer | Shilpa Rao (Chaleya, Jawan) |
| Best Cinematography | Prasanthanu Mohapatra (The Kerala Story) |
| Best Dialogue | Deepak Kingrani (Sirf Ek Banda Kaafi Hai) |
| Best Screenplay | Ramkumar Balakrishnan (Baby, Telugu), Sai Rajesh Neelam (Parking, Tamil) |
| Best Sound Design | Animal (Sachin Sudhakaran, Hariharan Muralidharan) |
| Best Editing | Midhun Murali (Pukkalam) |
| Best Production Design | Everyone is a Hero (Mohandas) |
| Best Costume Design | Sam Bahadur |
| Best Makeup | Sam Bahadur (Srikant Desai) |
| Best Background Score | Harshavardhan Rameshwar (Animal) |
| Best Music Direction | GV Prakash Kumar (Vaathi, Tamil) |
| Best Lyrics | Kasala Shyam (Balgam, Telugu) |
| Best Choreography | Vaibhavi Merchant (Dhindora Baaje, Rocky Aur Rani…) |
| Best Action Direction | Hanuman Man (Telugu) |
Regional Film Awards
| Language | Winner |
|---|---|
| Gujarati | Vaash |
| Bengali | Deep Freeze |
| Assamese | Rongatapu |
| Hindi | Kathal |
| Kannada | Kandilu |
| Telugu | Bhagwant Kesari |
| Tamil | Parking |
| Punjabi | Godde Godde Cha |
| Odia | Pushkar |
| Marathi | Shyamchi Aai |
| Malayalam | Ulluzhuku |
| Special Mention | Animal (MR Rajakrishnan – Re-recording mix) |
📽️ Non-Feature Film Awards
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Best Non-Feature Film | The Flowering Man (Hindi) |
| Best Short Film | Giddh: The Scavenger (Hindi) |
| Best Documentary | God, Vulture and Human |
| Best Arts/Culture Film | Timeless Tamil Nadu |
| Best Biographical Reconstruction | Mo Bau, Mo Gaon |
| Best Social Film | The Silent Epidemic |
| Best Debut Director | Mau: The Spirit of Dream of Cheraw (Mizo) |
| Best Cinematography | Little Wings (Tamil) |
| Best Sound Design | Dhundgiri Ke Phool (Hindi) |
| Best Voice Over | Harikrishna S (The Sacred Jack) |
| Best Editing | Niladri Roy (Moving Focus) |
| Best Script | Sunflowers Were the First Once to Know (Kannada) |
| Special Mention | Nekal (Malayalam) |
| Best Music (Non-Feature) | The First Film (Hindi) |
| Best Direction (Non-Feature) | Piyush Thakur (The First Film) |
Behind the Scenes
- 332 feature films and 115 non-feature films were nominated.
- Final results were submitted on August 1, with a press conference held on the same day.
- The central jury was chaired by acclaimed filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker.
This year’s National Film Awards not only celebrated cinematic brilliance across languages and genres but also marked key milestones—like Shah Rukh Khan’s long-awaited win and Mohanlal’s lifetime recognition. It was a reminder of the diversity and evolution of Indian cinema.
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