The 71st National Film Awards turned into a glittering celebration of Indian cinema on Tuesday, with President Droupadi Murmu presenting honours to some of the industry’s most celebrated names. Bollywood icons Shah Rukh Khan, Rani Mukerji and Vikrant Massey bagged acting awards, while Malayalam legend Mohanlal was feted with the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award for his extraordinary contribution to cinema.

Shah Rukh Khan, Rani Mukerji, Vikrant Massey honoured

The ceremony, hosted at Vigyan Bhawan, was marked by moments of cheer rarely seen at the traditionally formal event. Loud applause and whistles filled the hall when Shah Rukh and Rani walked up to collect their first-ever National Awards. Shah Rukh shared the best actor honour with Vikrant Massey — recognised for 12th Fail — for his performance in Jawan. Rani won best actress for her acclaimed role in Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway.

Mohanlal receives Dadasaheb Phalke Award

Mohanlal, whose career has spanned more than 50 years and over 360 films, received a standing ovation as he accepted the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. “I got to know that when Mohanlal's name was announced for Dadasaheb Phalke, there was wave of happiness among people. It shows that he has made a space for himself in countless people's heart,” President Murmu said during her address. She praised his versatility, noting, “He has presented the softest of the soft and toughest of the tough emotions quite naturally.”

Congratulating all winners, Murmu reflected on the evolving landscape of Indian cinema. “Now we see women in many places in cinema like actors and producers. I have seen films about mothers, women uniting against societal wrongs, and strong women who raise their voices. I salute these filmmakers on behalf of sisters and daughters. Please thank your crews for your success, they are behind it,” she added.

She also stressed on the diversity of Indian storytelling, likening cinema to literature that thrives across languages and regions.

Other big winners

Among the other big winners of the evening was Vidhu Vinod Chopra, whose 12th Fail was named best film. Karan Johar and Apoorva Mehta collected the award for Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, chosen as best popular film offering wholesome entertainment. Sudipto Sen was declared best director for The Kerala Story.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, speaking at the event, underlined the government’s push for “Make in India” in the film industry. "Equipment used in the film industry such as big cameras... should be made in India. We will be started a programme on this soon," he announced, also pitching for policy reforms to build a robust live concert economy.

Mohanlal on winning Dada Saheb Phalke awards

Mohanlal was the only awardee to address the audience. Calling himself “deeply humbled” as the youngest recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award and “only the second ever” from Kerala, the actor said, “This moment is not mine alone. It belongs to the entire Malayalam cinema fraternity. I see this award as a collective tribute to our industry, legacy, creativity and resilience.” The veteran star is celebrated for classics such as Iruvar, Vanaprastham, Pulimurugan and Drishyam.

Hindi films dominated the marquee categories, but regional cinema also made a strong impact. Meghna Gulzar and Ronnie Screwvala were honoured for Sam Bahadur as the best film promoting national, social and environmental values. Kathal: A Jackfruit Mystery, starring Sanya Malhotra, was named best Hindi film.

Vaibhavi Merchant won best choreography for “Dhindhora Baaje” from Rocky Aur Rani, while Shilpa Rao took best female playback singer for “Chaleya” from Jawan. The best male playback singer went to PVN S Rohit for “Premisthunna” in the Telugu film Baby.

Among the acting honours, Vijayaraghavan (Pookalam) and Muthupettai Somu Bhaskar (Parking) shared best supporting actor. Urvashi (Ullozhokku) and Janki Bodiwala (Vash) jointly won best supporting actress.

The year’s biggest blockbusters also made their mark. Hanu-Man picked up awards for best AVGC film and best action direction, while Animal won for sound design, background score, and re-recording. GV Prakash Kumar bagged best music director for songs in Vaathi, while Kasarla Shyam won best lyricist for Balagam.

The Marathi film Aatmapamphlet by Ashish Bende was named best debut film of a director. Other key technical awards went to Pookkaalam (editing), 2018 (production design), and Deepak Kingrani for dialogues in Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai.

Children’s cinema was also recognised, with Naal 2 declared best children’s film, alongside awards for its child cast. Sukriti Veni Bandreddi (Gandhi Tatha Chettu) and Kabir Khandare (Gypsy) were among the other child artist winners.

The list of language-specific winners included Rongatapu 1982 (Assamese), Deep Fridge (Bengali), Parking (Tamil), Kandeelu (Kannada), Shamchi Aai (Marathi), Puskara (Odia), Godday Godday Chaa (Punjabi) and Bhagavanth Kesari (Telugu).

Non-feature categories also received recognition. Hindi film Flowering Man was named best film, while God Vulture and Human won best documentary. Piyush Thakur was awarded best director for The First Film, and Chidananda Nayak’s Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know won best script.