Shah Rukh Khan Clinches First National Award for ‘Jawan’ After 33-Year Wait
He shared the accolade with Vikrant Massey, who won for his role in 12th Fail .
NEW DELHI- Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has finally received his first-ever National Film Award, sharing the Best Actor honour at the 71st National Film Awards for his performance in the blockbuster film Jawan (2023). He shared the accolade with Vikrant Massey, who won for his role in 12th Fail .
The 71st National Film Awards, announced on August 1, 2025, by the National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC), honor the best of Indian cinema for 2023. Films certified by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) between January 1 and December 31, 2023, were eligible. The awards ceremony took place at the National Media Centre in New Delhi, with winners selected by independent juries based on artistic and technical merit, celebrating excellence across feature films, non-feature films, and writing on cinema. Below is a detailed overview based on available information .Key Winners and Categories
Best Feature Film: 12th Fail (Hindi), directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, was awarded the Swarna Kamal (Golden Lotus) for its impactful storytelling based on the life of IPS officer Manoj Kumar Sharma.
Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment: Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (Hindi), directed by Karan Johar, featuring Alia Bhatt and Ranveer Singh.
Best Film Promoting National and Social Values: Sam Bahadur (Hindi), a biographical war drama about India’s first field marshal, Sam Manekshaw, directed by Meghna Gulzar.
Best Director: Sudipto Sen for The Kerala Story (Hindi), a controversial film that also won Best Cinematography for Prasantanu Mohapatra.
Best Actor (Shared): Shah Rukh Khan for Jawan (Hindi), marking his first National Award in a career spanning over 30 years. Vikrant Massey for 12th Fail (Hindi).
Best Actress: Rani Mukerji for Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway (Hindi), recognized for her powerful performance.
Best Supporting Actress (Shared): Urvashi for Ullozhukku (Malayalam). Janki Bodiwala for Vash (Gujarati).
Best Supporting Actor (Shared): Vijayaraghavan for Pookkaalam (Malayalam). Muthupettai Somu Bhaskar for Parking (Tamil).
Best Non-Feature Film: Flowering Man (Hindi), directed by Soumyajit Ghosh Dastidar, won the Swarna Kamal.
Best Director (Non-Feature Film): Piyush Thakur for The First Film (Hindi).
Best Cinematography (Non-Feature Film): Saravanamaruthu Soundarapandi and Meenakshi Soman for Little Wings (Tamil).
Best Malayalam Film: Ullozhukku, directed by Christo Tomy, also recognized for Urvashi’s supporting role.
Best Tamil Film: Parking, directed by Ramkumar Balakrishnan, which also won awards for Best Supporting Actor and other categories.
Best Production Design: 2018 – Everyone Is A Hero (Malayalam), a disaster drama depicting the Kerala floods.
Best Editing: Pookkaalam (Malayalam).
Best Female Playback Singer: Shilpa Rao for Chaliya from Jawan (Hindi).
Best Male Playback Singer: PVN S Rohit for Premisthunna from Baby (Telugu).
Special Mention (Non-Feature Film): Nekal – Chronicle of the Paddy Man (Malayalam), directed by M K Ramadas.
Other Notable Awards: Animal (Hindi), a controversial blockbuster, won three awards: Special Mention for Re-recording (MR Rajakrishnan), Best Background Score (Harshavardhan Rameshwar), and Best Sound Design (Sachin Sudhakaran and Hariharan Muralidharan). Sam Bahadur also won Best Makeup (Shrikant Desai) and Best Costume Design (Sachin Lovalekar, Divvya Gambir, Niddhi Gambhir).
Award Structure
Golden Lotus Award (Swarna Kamal): Awarded to top categories like Best Feature Film and Best Non-Feature Film, accompanied by a medallion, certificate, and cash prize.
Silver Lotus Award (Rajat Kamal): Awarded to other categories, including supporting roles and technical achievements, with a certificate and cash prize.
Eligibility: Films must be certified by the CBFC within the specified year (2023 for the 71st awards) and produced in India. Non-feature films include documentaries, short films, and animations in any Indian language.
Categories: The awards are divided into Feature Films, Non-Feature Films, and Best Writing on Cinema, aiming to promote aesthetic, technical, and social relevance in Indian cinema.
Ceremony and Administration
The awards were announced by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, with the jury submitting the list to Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in the presence of Union Minister of State Dr. L Murugan and Secretary Sanjay Jaju.
The ceremony, administered by the NFDC since 2021, celebrates films across over 30 Indian languages, emphasizing regional diversity and artistic innovation.
The President of India, Droupadi Murmu, is expected to felicitate the winners, following the tradition of the previous year’s ceremony at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.
Notable Highlights
Shah Rukh Khan’s first National Award for Jawan was a significant milestone, recognizing his performance in a socially charged action thriller.
Malayalam cinema shone with Ullozhukku and 2018 – Everyone Is A Hero winning major awards, alongside Pookkaalam securing multiple honors.
Controversial films like The Kerala Story and Animal received recognition despite polarizing reception, highlighting the awards’ focus on technical and artistic merit over public sentiment.
The awards continue to uphold merit-based selection by independent juries, free from government or organizational influence, ensuring credibility.
For further details or the complete list of winners, you can refer to official sources like the Press Information Bureau (pib.gov.in) or news outlets such as The Hindu or Onmanorama. If you need specific details about a category, film, or winner, let me know, and I can dive deeper.
