‘12th Fail’ Wins Best Feature Film at 71st National Film Awards

New Delhi : The 71st National Film Awards, recognising cinematic excellence in Indian cinema for the year 2023, were announced at the National Media Centre on Friday evening. Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s 12th Fail emerged as the standout winner, clinching the award for Best Feature Film, while performances by Shah Rukh Khan (Jawan), Vikrant Massey (12th Fail), and Rani Mukerji (Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway) were honoured with the Best Actor and Actress awards in leading roles.

In a notable win, Sudipto Sen received the award for Best Direction for The Kerala Story. The film also earned accolades for Best Cinematography, awarded to Prasanthanu Mohapatra.

The awards acknowledged both mainstream and regional films, with honours for the Best Regional Films going to Bhagavanth Kesari (Telugu), Parking (Tamil), Ullozhukku (Malayalam), Shyamchi Aai (Marathi), Kathal (Hindi), Deep Fridge (Bengali), Rongatapu 1982 (Assamese), Pushkara (Odia), Vash (Gujarati), Godday Godday Chaa (Punjabi), Kandeelu (Kannada), Pai Tang…Step of Hope (Tai Phake), and Rimdottianga (Garo).

Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani won Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, with Vaibhavi Merchant taking home the award for Best Choreography for the song Dindhora Baje Re. The film Sam Bahadur won for Best Film Promoting National and Social Values, along with awards for Best Makeup and Best Costume Design.

In technical categories, HanuMan was recognised for Best Action Direction and won the award for Best Film in AVGC (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics). Animal secured honours for Best Music Direction (Harshavardhan Rameshwar), Best Sound Design, and a Special Mention for MR Rajakrishnan’s re-recording.

Playback singing honours went to Shilpa Rao (Chaliya – Jawan) and Rohit (Premisthunna – Baby), while Naal 2 was adjudged Best Children’s Film.

Awards for Best Supporting Actor were shared by Vijayaraghavan (Pookalam) and Muthupettai Somu Bhaskar (Parking), while Urvashi (Ullozhukku) and Janki Bodiwala (Vash) won in the supporting actress category.

In the non-feature category, Giddh: The Scavenger was named Best Short Film, while The First Film won multiple awards including Best Direction and Best Music Direction. God, Vulture and Human was awarded Best Documentary Film, and The Silent Epidemic was recognised for promoting social and environmental values.

Films eligible for this year’s awards were those certified by the Central Board of Film Certification between January 1 and December 31, 2023. The awards continue to celebrate the diversity, depth, and talent of Indian cinema across languages and genres.