71st National Film Awards 2023: Full Winners List You Can’t Miss!

The 71st National Film Awards for the year 2023 were officially announced on August 1, 2025, celebrating outstanding achievements in Indian cinema. The prestigious awards recognized exceptional contributions by actors, filmmakers, and technicians across the country. This year was particularly historic as Shah Rukh Khan won his first-ever National Award for Best Actor, while Rani Mukerji clinched the Best Actress award for her powerful performance. Alongside mainstream stars, several regional films like HanuMan, Parking, and 12th Fail also made a remarkable impact.

A Historic Win for Shah Rukh Khan and Rani Mukerji

In a landmark moment for Indian cinema, Shah Rukh Khan received his first National Award for Best Actor for his blockbuster film Jawan. Known as the “King of Bollywood,” this award marks a major milestone in his illustrious career. Alongside him, Rani Mukerji was honored with the Best Actress award for her gripping role in Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway, a film that highlighted the struggles of a mother fighting against a foreign legal system for her child’s custody.

Actor Vikrant Massey also bagged the Best Actor award for his inspirational role in 12th Fail, a film based on the real-life story of Manoj Kumar Sharma, who overcame poverty to become an IPS officer.

Regional Cinema Shines Bright

The 71st edition of the awards not only celebrated Bollywood but also gave a strong platform to regional films.

• The Best Telugu Film award went to Bhagavanth Kesari,
• Best Tamil Film was won by Parking,
• Best Malayalam Film was Ullozhukku,
• and Shyamchi Aai took the Best Marathi Film title.
• The Telugu superhero film HanuMan also received widespread recognition, winning the award for Best Action Direction and Best Film in AVGC (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, and Comics).

Major Highlights of the Awards

• Sam Bahadur, a film based on Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, was recognized as the Best Film Promoting National and Social Values.
• Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, directed by Karan Johar, won the award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, with Vaibhavi Merchant also taking home Best Choreography for its hit song Dindhora Baje Re.
• The Best Film award went to 12th Fail, which moved audiences nationwide with its inspiring storyline.
• The Kerala Story bagged multiple awards, including Best Direction for Sudipto Sen and Best Cinematography by Prasanthanu Mohapatra.

Complete Winners List of the 71st National Film Awards (2023)

(Best Actor/Actress) Category Winner List

Category	Winner	Film
Best Actor (Leading Role)	Shah Rukh Khan	Jawan
	Rani Mukerji	Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway
	Vikrant Massey	12th Fail
Best Actress (Supporting Role)	Urvashi	Ullozhukku
	Janki Bodiwala	Vash
	Vijayaraghavan	Pookalam
	Muthupettai Somu Bhaskar	Parking

Regional Film Winner List

Category	Winner
Best Hindi Film	Kathal
Best Telugu Film	Bhagavanth Kesari
Best Tamil Film	Parking
Best Malayalam Film	Ullozhukku
Best Marathi Film	Shyamchi Aai
Best Kannada Film	Kandeelu
Best Punjabi Film	Godday Godday Chaa
Best Assamese Film	Rongatapu 1982
Best Bengali Film	Deep Fridge
Best Gujarati Film	Vash
Best Odia Film	Pushkara

Technical Awards Category Winners List

Category	Winner	Film
Best Action Direction	Nandu-Prudhvi	HanuMan
Best Choreography	Vaibhavi Merchant	Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani
Best Lyrics	Kasarla Shyam	Ooru Palleturu – Balagam
Best Music Direction	GV Prakash Kumar	Vaathi
	Harshavardhan Rameshwar	Animal
Best Makeup	Shrikanth Desai	Sam Bahadur
Best Costume Design	Sachin, Divya, Nidhhi	Sam Bahadur
Best Production Design	Mohandas	2018
Best Editing	Midhun Murali	Pookkaalam
Best Sound Design	Sachin Sudhakaran, Hariharan	Animal
Best Screenplay	Sai Rajesh	Baby
	Ramkumar Balakrishnan	Parking
Best Dialogue	Deepak Kingrani Sirf	Ek Bandha Kaafi Hai
Best Cinematography	Prasanthanu Mohapatra	The Kerala Story
Best Playback Singer (Female)	Shilpa Rao	Chaliya – Jawan
Best Playback Singer (Male)	Rohit	Premisthunna – Baby
Best Child Artist	Sukriti Bandireddi Gandhi	Thatha Chettu
	Kabir Khandare	Gypsy
	Treesha Toshar, Shrinivas Pokale, Bhargav	Naal 2
Best Direction	Sudipto Sen	The Kerala Story

Best Film Category Winners List

Category	Winner
Best Film in AVGC	HanuMan
Best Children’s Film	Naal 2
Best Film Promoting National, Social Values	Sam Bahadur
Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment	Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani
Best Debut Film	Aatmapamphlet
Best Film	12th Fail
Best Documentary Film	God Vulture and Human
Best Short Film	Giddh The Scavenger
Best Non-Fiction Film	Flowering Man

Non-Feature Film Awards

• The non-feature film category highlighted social, cultural, and environmental storytelling.
• Best Documentary Film went to God Vulture and Human.
• The Silent Epidemic was honored for Best Non-Feature Film Promoting Social and Environmental Values.
• Best Short Film went to Giddh The Scavenger.
• The Spirit Dreams of Cheraw was recognized as Best Debut Film in the non-feature section.