The 71st National Film Awards brought major recognition to Bollywood icons Shah Rukh Khan and Rani Mukerji, who won their first-ever National Awards, marking a milestone in their decades-long careers.
Shah Rukh Khan, a superstar for over 33 years, was honoured with the Best Actor award for Jawan, sharing the title with Vikrant Massey for 12th Fail. Although SRK previously received the Padma Shri and France’s top civilian honours, this is his first National Award as an actor.
Rani Mukerji won Best Actress for her moving performance in Mrs. Chatterjee Vs Norway, while Sanya Malhotra also shared the Best Actress award for her role in Kathal.
Directed and produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, 12th Fail won Best Hindi Feature Film, while Kathal: A Jackfruit Mystery was declared Best Hindi Film overall. Sudipto Sen took home Best Director for The Kerala Story, which also won Best Cinematography in Hindi cinema.
In the supporting roles, Vijay Raghavan (Phoolkalam) and Mathupettai Samu Bhaskar (Parking) were awarded Best Supporting Actor, while Janki Badiwala (Vaas) and Urvashi (Ullozhukku) won Best Supporting Actress.
Karan Johar’s Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani won Best Choreography for the song Dhindhora Baje Re. Shilpa Rao received Best Female Playback Singer for Chaleya from Jawan, and PVN Rohit was named Best Male Playback Singer for Premisthunna from Baby (2023).
Other winners include GV Prakash Kumar (Best Music Director, Vaathi), Swanand Kirkire (Best Lyrics, Fandry), and Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai (Best Dialogue Writing). Sam Bahadur won for Best Costume Design and national values portrayal.
Bengali film Deepfreeze by Arjun Dutta was named Best Bengali Film.
