President Droupadi Murmu presided over the 70th National Film Awards ceremony today ( October 8), honoring outstanding achievements in Indian cinema for the year 2022. A highlight of the event was the conferral of the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award to legendary actor Mithun Chakraborty.
The ceremony was attended by Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Minister of State Dr. L. Murugan. In her address, President Murmu commended Chakraborty’s significant contributions to the film industry and emphasized that the awarded films reflect positive societal change.
Minister Vaishnaw outlined the government’s commitment to developing the film industry through a three-pronged strategy focusing on Talent Development, Infrastructure, and Simplification. He noted that the films recognized today were produced during the pandemic, showcasing resilience and creativity. Vaishnaw also highlighted the achievement of nine debut directors celebrated for their bold storytelling.
Sanjay Jaju, Secretary of Information and Broadcasting, revealed that the Ministry received entries for 309 feature films in 32 languages and 128 non-feature films in 17 languages for this year’s awards.
Film critic Deepak Dua received the Golden Lotus Award for Best Critic, while Anirudha Bhattacharjee and Parthiv Dhar were honored for their book Kishore Kumar: The Ultimate Biography. The Assamese film Hargila – The Greater Adjutant Stork received a ‘Special Mention’ in the Non-Feature Films category.
Awards for Best Feature Film and Best Non-Feature Film went to the Malayalam film
Aattam and the film Ayena, respectively. Sooraj Barjatya was recognized as Best Director for Uunchai, and Gulmohar took home the Best Hindi Film award. The Haryanvi film Fouja received accolades for Best Lyrics in the non-feature category. Karan Johar was awarded for the Best Film in AVGC for Brahmastra Part I.
In the music category, Arijit Singh won Best Male Playback Singer, while Bombay Jayashri received the Best Female Playback Singer award. Other notable films recognized included
Ponniyin Selvan Part I, KGF 2, and Daman.
Rishab Shetty was awarded Best Actor for his performance in the Kannada film Kantara, and Best Actress honors went to Nithya Menen for Thiruchitrambalam and Manasi Parekh for Kutch Express.
The awards celebrate the resilience and creativity of Indian filmmakers and performers, marking a significant milestone in the nation’s cinematic journey.