71st National Film Awards: '12th Fail' Wins Best Film, SRK, Vikrant Massey And Rani Mukerji Take Top Acting Honours

Written By: Entertainment Desk

Updated: August 01, 2025 | 21:08 IST

Shah Rukh Khan, Vikrant Massey and Rani Mukerji take top acting honours at 71st National Film Awards.

The 71st National Film Awards for the year 2023 have been announced, celebrating the best of Indian cinema. This year's awards saw a mix of mainstream blockbusters and critically acclaimed films being recognised, with Vidhu Vinod Chopra's ‘12th Fail’ taking home the coveted award for Best Feature Film. The top acting honours went to Shah Rukh Khan, who won his first-ever Best Actor award for his role in ‘Jawan’, and Rani Mukerji, who was named Best Actress for her powerful performance in ‘Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway’.

The Best Actor award was a tie between Shah Rukh Khan for his high-octane action film ‘Jawan’ and Vikrant Massey for his inspiring portrayal of a real-life IPS officer in ‘12th Fail’. This is a significant milestone for SRK, who has been a reigning superstar of Bollywood for decades. Rani Mukerji's win for ‘Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway’ was also highly lauded, as she delivered a moving performance as a mother fighting for the custody of her children.

Sudipto Sen won the Best Director award for the controversial yet commercially successful film ‘The Kerala Story’.

In other major categories, Karan Johar’s ‘Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahaani’ was awarded the Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, while ‘Sam Bahadur’, the biopic on Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, won the award for Best Film Promoting National, Social Values. The supporting acting awards were given to Urvashi for ‘Ullozhukku’, Janki Bodiwala for ‘Vash’, Vijayaraghavan for ‘Pookkaalam’, and Muthupettai Somu Bhaskar for ‘Parking’.

The technical awards were also distributed among a diverse range of films. ‘Animal’ won for its impactful background score by Harshavardhan Rameshwar and sound design by Sachin Sudhakaran and Hariharan Muralidharan. ‘Sam Bahadur’ also picked up awards for Best Make-Up Artist and Best Costume Design. The award for Best Cinematography went to Prasantanu Mohapatra for ‘The Kerala Story’.

The National Film Awards also celebrate the rich diversity of regional cinema in India. This year, the awards for Best Regional Films were given to ‘Rongatapu 1982’ (Assamese), ‘Deep Fridge’ (Bengali), ‘Kathal: A Jackfruit Mystery’ (Hindi), ‘Kandeelu- The Ray of Hope’ (Kannada), ‘Ullozhukku’ (Malayalam), ‘Shyamchi Aai’ (Marathi), ‘Pushkara’ (Odia), ‘Godday Godday Chaa’ (Punjabi), ‘Parking’ (Tamil), ‘Pai Tang… Step of Hope’ (Tai Phake), ‘Rimdogittanga’ (Garo), ‘Bhagavanth Kesari’ (Telugu), and ‘Vash’ (Gujarati).

Check out the full winners’ list here:

Feature Films

Best Feature Film: 12th Fail
Best Director: Sudipto Sen (The Kerala Story)
Best Actor: Shah Rukh Khan (Jawan) and Vikrant Massey (12th Fail)
Best Actress: Rani Mukerji (Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway)
Best Supporting Actor: Vijayaraghavan (Pookkaalam) and Mutthupettai Somu Bhaskar (Parking)
Best Supporting Actress: Urvashi (Ullozhukku) and Janaki Bodiwala (Vash)
Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment: Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani
Best Film Promoting National, Social Values: Sam Bahadur
Best Debut Film: Aatmapamphlet
Best Children's Film: Naal 2
Best Film in AVGC (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming & Comics): HanuMan (Telugu)
Best Child Artist: Sukriti Veni Bandreddi (Gandhi Thatha Chettu), Kabir Khandane (Gypsy), Treesha Toshar, Shrinivas Pokale, and Bhargav (Naal 2)
Best Music Direction (Songs): GV Prakash Kumar (Vaathi)
Best Music Direction (Background Score): Harshavardhan Rameshwar (Animal)
Best Male Playback Singer: Rohit (Premisthunna from Baby)
Best Female Playback Singer: Shilpa Rao (Chaliya from Jawan)
Best Lyrics: Kasarla Shyam (Ooru Palleturu from Balagam)
Best Choreography: Vaibhavi Merchant (Dindhora Baje Re from Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani)
Best Action Direction: Nandu-Prudhvi (HanuMan)
Best Screenplay: Sai Rajesh (Baby) and Ramkumar Balakrishnan (Parking)
Best Dialogue: Deepak Kingrani (Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai)
Best Cinematography: Prasanthanu Mohapatra (The Kerala Story)
Best Production Design: Mohandas (2018)
Best Costume Design: Sachin, Divya, and Nidhhi (Sam Bahadur)
Best Makeup: Shrikanth Desai (Sam Bahadur)
Best Editing: Midhun Murali (Pookkaalam)
Best Sound Design: Sachin Sudhakaran and Hariharan (Animal)
Special Mentions: MR Rajakrishnan (Re-Recording for Animal)

Best Regional Films

Best Assamese Film: Rongatapu 1982
Best Bengali Film: Deep Fridge
Best Garo Film: Rimdottianga
Best Gujarati Film: Vash
Best Hindi Film: Kathal
Best Kannada Film: Kandeelu
Best Malayalam Film: Ullozhukku
Best Marathi Film: Shyamchi Aai
Best Odia Film: Pushkara
Best Punjabi Film: Godday Godday Chaa
Best Tai Phake Film: Pai Tang…Step of Hope
Best Tamil Film: Parking
Best Telugu Film: Bhagavanth Kesari

Non-Feature Films

Best Non-Fiction Film: Flowering Man
Best Debut Film: The Spirit Dreams of Cheraw
Best Biographical/Historical Reconstruction Film: Mo Bou Mo Gaan and Lentina Ao
Best Art/Culture Film: Timeless Tamil Nadu
Best Documentary Film: God Vulture and Human
Best Non-Feature Film Promoting Social and Environmental Values: The Silent Epidemic
Best Short Film: Giddh The Scavenger
Best Direction: Piyush Thakur (The First Film)
Best Cinematography: Meenakshi Soman and Saravanamaruthu (Little Wings)
Best Sound Design: Shubarun Sengupta (Dhundhgiri Ke Phool)
Best Editing: Niladri Roy (Moving Focus)
Best Music Direction: Pranil Desai (The First Film)
Best Voiceover: Hari Krishnan S (The Sacred Jack – Exploring The Tree of Wishes)
Best Script: Sunflowers Were The First Ones To Know
Special Mentions: Nekal – Chronicle of the Paddy Man and The Sea and the Seven Villages

The National Film Awards have once again highlighted the incredible talent and creativity of the Indian film industry. The winners represent a wide spectrum of cinematic styles and themes, from heartwarming stories of perseverance to high-octane action and thought-provoking social dramas.