The 71st National Film Awards ceremony was held today in New Delhi, celebrating excellence across Indian cinema. President Droupadi Murmu presented the awards to winners from various languages, in a glittering event that brought together some of the country’s finest talents.
One of the biggest highlights of the evening was veteran actor Mohanlal receiving the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the highest honour in Indian cinema, for his outstanding contribution to the film industry. Known as “The Complete Actor”, Mohanlal has delivered decades of memorable performances across Malayalam and Indian cinema.
- Telugu cinema shone brightly at this year’s awards. Director Anil Ravipudi and producer Sahu Garapati collected the award for Best Telugu Feature Film for Bhagavanth Kesari, starring Nandamuri Balakrishna. The superhero blockbuster HanuMan also received multiple honours: Nandu and Prudhvi were awarded for Best Stunt Choreography, while Jetty Venkat Kumar, Niranjan Reddy and Prasanth Varma won for Best Film in AVGC (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics).
In the category of music and lyrics, Kasarla Shyam was honoured with Best Lyrics for the soulful song Ooru Palletooru from Balagam. Rising talent PVNS Rohit took home Best Male Playback Singer for his heart-touching rendition of Premistunna from Baby.
The film Baby added further glory to Telugu cinema, with writer-director Sai Rajesh winning the award for Best Screenplay. His ability to craft an emotional, youth-centred love story won both audience hearts and critical acclaim.
Another proud moment came when Sukriti Veni Bandreddi, daughter of director Sukumar, won the Best Child Artist award for her performance in Gandhi Tatha Chettu.
The 71st National Awards once again highlighted the diversity and creativity of Indian cinema. From timeless legends like Mohanlal to promising young talents from Telugu cinema, the evening celebrated both tradition and innovation on one stage.
