The 71st National Film Awards have officially been announced, and it’s a proud day for Telugu cinema. Anil Ravipudi’s Bhagavanth Kesari, starring Nandamuri Balakrishna, has bagged the National Award for Best Telugu Film of 2023. A milestone for the team, especially for producer Sahu Garapati, director Anil Ravipudi, and of course, Balakrishna.
For Anil Ravipudi, who’s known for his commercial entertainers, this award is a validation of his growth as a filmmaker willing to explore deeper themes.
In other languages, here are the films that won big this year:
Best Tamil Film – Parking
Best Hindi Film – Kathal
Best Kannada Film – Kandalu
Best Malayalam Film – Ullozhukku
Each of these films brought something unique to the table and reflect the rich storytelling across India’s regional cinemas.
Below is the full list of winners at the 71st National Film Awards 2023:
Best Tai Phake Film: Pai Tang…Step of Hope
Best Garo Film: Rimdottianga
Best Telugu Film: Bhagavanth Kesari
Best Tamil Film: Parking
Best Punjabi Film: Godday Godday Chaa
Best Odia Film: Pushkara
Best Marathi Film: Shyamchi Aai
Best Malayalam Film: Ullozhukku
Best Kannada Film: Kandeelu
Best Hindi Film: Kathal
Best Gujarati Film: Vash
Best Bengali Film: Deep Fridge
Best Assamese Film: Rongatapu 1982
Best Action Direction: Nandu-Prudhvi (HanuMan)
Best Choreography: Vaibhavi Merchant (Dindhora Baje Re – 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: Shilpa Rao (Chaliya – Jawan), Rohit (Premisthunna – Baby)
Best Child Artist: Sukriti Bandireddi (Gandhi Thatha Chettu), Kabir Khandare (Gypsy), Treesha Toshar, Shrinivas Pokale, Bhargav (Naal 2)
Best Actor in Supporting Role: Urvashi (Ullozhukku), Janki Bodiwala (Vash), Vijayaraghavan (Pookalam), Muthupettai Somu Bhaskar (Parking)
Best Actor in Leading Role: Rani Mukerji (Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway), Shah Rukh Khan (Jawan), Vikrant Massey (12th Fail)
Best Direction: Sudipto Sen (The Kerala Story)
Best Film in AVGC: HanuMan
Best Children’s Film: Naal 2
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: Shilpa Rao (Chaliya – Jawan), Rohit (Premisthunna – Baby)
Best Child Artist: Sukriti Bandireddi (Gandhi Thatha Chettu), Kabir Khandare (Gypsy), Treesha Toshar, Shrinivas Pokale, Bhargav (Naal 2)
Best Actor in Supporting Role: Urvashi (Ullozhukku), Janki Bodiwala (Vash), Vijayaraghavan (Pookalam), Muthupettai Somu Bhaskar (Parking)
Best Actor in Leading Role: Rani Mukerji (Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway), Shah Rukh Khan (Jawan), Vikrant Massey (12th Fail)
Best Direction: Sudipto Sen (The Kerala Story)
Best Film in AVGC: HanuMan
Best Children’s Film: Naal 2
Best Documentary Film: God Vulture and Human
Best Art/Culture Film: Timeless Tamil Nadu
Best Biographical/Historical Reconstruction Film: Mo Bou Mo Gaan, Lentina Ao
Best Debut Film: The Spirit Dreams of Cheraw
Best Non-Fiction Film: Flowering Man
