The 70th National Awards saw the best in the film business converge at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi to be honoured by President Droupadi Murmu.
Manasi Parekh gets emotional as she accepts the award for Best Actress for her Gujarati film, Kutch Express.
The actor rightly feels validated now.
Nithya Menen receives the National Film Award for Best Actress for her performance in the 2022 film Thiruchitrambalam.
"It feels wonderful, and it's a very very important moment. It feels wonderful and is very special. It is a very important moment in our lives as artists... I would like to dedicate the award to my co-stars and the entire team of Thiruchitrambalam," she says.
So when will this Mission Mangal actor return to Bollywood? Nithya hinted at upcoming projects but said there were no confirmed details yet: "Hopefully, very soon. I'm not sure myself."
Neena Gupta won the National Award for Best Supporting Actress for Uunchai.
After Neena won her first National Award way back in 1994, she stopped getting work!
Manoj Bajpayee, probably still 'over the moon', receives the award for his film Gulmohar in the Special Mention category.
He thanked Director Rahul V Chittella and his co-stars: "It is a huge thing when such a small film makes its presence felt at the National Film AwardS...I feel honoured. Also, I can't take all the credit myself. I thank my director, who offered me this film, and all the people who worked with me, all the co-actors who supported my work. I also express gratitude to my audience for showering love on me."
Gulmohar also won awards for the Best Hindi Film and Best Screenplay.
Mithun Chakraborty receives the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the highest recognition in the field of Indian cinema.
Earlier, Mithunda had said, "I dedicate this award to my family and all my fans around the world. Where I come from, from a blind alley in Kolkata, I never imagined that a boy from the footpath could receive such a big honor. I'm literally dumbfounded, trust me. I can't smile, I can't cry with happiness because a man from literally nowhere, a nobody, made it. This also proves what I always tell my fans and those who aren't financially strong: if I can make it, then you can do it too."
Please click here to read about his fascinating journey.
Mani Ratnam accepts the Best Tamil Film award for his magnum opus Ponniyin Selvan: Part 1.
Vishal Bhardwaj receives the award for Best Music Direction in the Non-Feature Film category for his romantic short, Fursat.
Brahmastra: Part 1 -- Shiva, directed by Ayan Mukerji and produced by Karan Johar won three awards, including Best Film in AVGC (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comic).
Pritam accepts the Best Music Direction for the Ranbir Kapoor-Alia Bhatt starrer while Arijit Singh wins Best Playback Singer for the beautiful song, Kesariya.
A R Rahman gets his seventh National Award as he picks up the honour for Best Music Director (Background Music) for Ponniyin Selvan 1.
"This award is special because this is my seventh National Award. My first National Film Award was for the film Roja with Mani Ratnam. This film is also with him. Whenever I work with him, it is very special, he gets the best out of all of us. And since it's a National Award, I'm really proud of it."
Rishab Shetty won the Best Actor award for his performance in Kantara.
"Every film has an impact. Our motive is to make films, which bring about a change or impact in society...I thank the audience...National Awards are a very prestigious reward for an artist."
Pawan Malhotra always felt that he could 'never sell himself'. He won the Best Supporting Actor Award for the Haryanvi film Fouja.
Actress-Producer-Director Aimee Baruah receives the Special Mention Award for her Assamese film Birubala: Witch to Padmashri.
Shailja Vijay, Producer Vijay Kiragandur's wife, accepts the award on behalf of Homable Films for KGF 2 for Best Kannada Film.
Sooraj Barjatya won the National Award for Best Director for Uunchai.
Sharmila Tagore arrives to cheer for her Gulmohar team.
With inputs from ANI.
Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff.com
