The 71st National Film Awards for 2023 were announced on August 1, 2025. Shah Rukh Khan and Vikrant Massey shared the Best Actor honour, while Rani Mukerji won Best Actress. 'Kathal' was named Best Hindi Feature Film.
The 71st National Film Awards for the year 2023 were announced in New Delhi on August 1, honouring a diverse set of films across languages and genres. In a notable moment, Shah Rukh Khan (for Jawan) and Vikrant Massey (for 12th Fail) shared the Best Actor award, while Rani Mukerji was awarded Best Actress for her role in Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway.
The Best Hindi Feature Film title went to Sanya Malhotra starrer Kathal, directed by Yashowardhan Mishra, a satirical comedy that received widespread appreciation for its storytelling and performances.
The jury submitted its final report to Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Minister of State L Murugan at 4 PM.
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Best films in regional categories
Each regional film industry was represented with care at the awards:
Best Telugu Film – Bhagvanth Kesari (I Don't Care) by Anil Ravipudi
Best Tamil Film – Parking by Ramkumar Balakrishnan
Best Malayalam Film – Ullozhukku by Christo Tomy
Best Kannada Film – Kandeelu by K Yashoda Prakash
Best Marathi Film – Shyamchi Aai by Sujay Sunil Dahake
Best Bengali Film – Deep Fridge
Best Assamese Film – Rongatapu
Best Gujarati Film – Vash
Best Punjabi Film – Godday Godday Chaa by Vijay Kumar Arora
Best Oriya Film – Pushkara by Shubhranshu Das
Best Garo Film – Rimdogittanga (Rapture)
Best Tai Phake Film – Pai Tang (Step of House)
Other major winners
Best Makeup – Sam Bahadur
Best Feature Film Promoting National, Social And Environmental Values – Sam Bahadur
Best Screenplay – Baby (Telugu) and Parking (Tamil)
Best Cinematography – The Kerala Story
Best Action Choreography/Stunt Direction – Hanu-Man (Telugu)
Best Production Design – Malayalam film '2018'
Best Sound Design – Harshavardhan Rameshwar for Animal
Best Music Director – GV Prakash Kumar for Vaathi
The awards honoured films that received certification from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) between January 1 and December 31, 2023. This period was a significant one for Indian cinema with several major commercial and critically acclaimed releases across languages.
Popular Hindi films from the year included Pathaan, Animal, 12th Fail, OMG 2, Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, The Kerala Story, and Adipurush. Telugu cinema saw titles like Balagam, Dasara, Month of Madhu, and Sita Ramam. Tamil blockbusters such as Jailer and Leo did exceptionally well at the box office. Malayalam cinema delivered critically acclaimed films like 2018 – Everyone is a Hero, Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam, Iratta, Adrishya Jalakangal, and Kaathal – The Core.
Vikrant Massey Best Actor for '12th Fail'
Vikrant Massey shared the Best Actor award for '12th Fail' with Shah Rukh Khan, who won it for Jawan. Earlier, actor Vikrant Massey reflected on the success of '12th Fail' and possibility of a National Award for the film. Filmi Beat quoted him saying, "I hope it does. And I'm sorry, without cost of sounding pompous, and with utmost humility. I hope it does. I hope the film wins an award. I hope Vidhu Vinod Chopra wins an award. I hope I win an award."
The official winners were revealed during a press conference at 6 PM at the National Media Centre.
