The winners of the 70th National Film Awards were announced at the National Media Centre in New Delhi on Friday, August 16. Bollywood stars were prominently recognised, with Neena Gupta being honoured as Best Supporting Actor for her role in Uunchai and Sooraj Barjatya as Best Director for the same film.
Arijit Singh received the award for Best Male Playback Singer for Brahmastra, while Ayan Mukerji was awarded the award for Best Film in the AVGC category.
Along with their trophies, winners of the National Film Awards also receive cash prizes. According to a leading publication, those who win the Swarna Kamal (Golden Lotus) in categories like Best Film, Best Director and Best Children’s Film will receive Rs 3 lakh each.
The winners of the Rajat Kamal, which includes categories like Best Supporting Actor, Best Screenplay and Best Music, will receive Rs 2 lakh. This means that Ayan Mukerji and producers and director Sooraj R. Barjatya will receive Rs 3 lakh each, while Pavan Raj Malhotra, Neena Gupta and Arijit Singh will receive Rs 2 lakh each.
Among the National Award winners, Kantara and KGF 2 stood out as big winners. Kantara won the award for Best Film, with Rishab Shetty taking home the award for Best Actor, while Yash’s KGF Chapter 2 was named Best Kannada Film.
Gulmohar won the award for Best Hindi Film, with Manoj Bajpayee receiving a Special Mention. Nitya Menon and Maansi Paarkh shared the award for Best Actress, and Sooraj R. Barjatya won Best Director for Uunchai.
In the music category, Pritam was awarded Best Music Director for Brahmastra, while AR Rahman won the Best Background Score award for his work in Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan 2.
Anand Krishnamurthy, also from Ponniyin Selvan 2, won the award for Best Sound Design. Arijit Singh bagged the award for Best Male Playback Singer for Kesariya in Brahmastra, which also won the award for Best Visual Effects directed by Ayan Mukerji.
Swarna Kamal Awardees who will receive a cash prize of Rs 3 Lakh:
Best Film: Attam (Director: Anand Ekarshi, Producer: Ajith Joy)
Best Director’s Debut Film: Fouja (Director: Pramod Kumar)
Best film that offers comprehensive entertainment: Kantara (Producer: Vijay Kiragandur, Director: Rishab Shetty)
Best Regie: Uunchai (Director: Sooraj Barjatya)
Best Film in AVGC (Animation, Visual Effects, Games and Comics) category: Brahmastra-Part 1: Shiva (Production houses: Dharma Productions, Prime Focus, Starlight Pictures; Director: Ayan Mukerji)
Rajat Kamal Awardees who will receive a cash prize of Rs 2 Lakh:
Best Actor: Rishab Shetty for Kantara
Best Actress: Nithya Menen for Thiruchitrambalam (Tamil) and Manasi Parekh for Kutch Express (Gujarati)
Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Pavan Raj Malhotra for Fouja (Harayanvi)
Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Neena Gupta for Uunchai
Best Male Playback Singer: Arijit Singh for Kesariya in Brahmastra-Part 1: Shiva
