68th National Film Awards; here is the list of winners

The prestigious 68th National Film Awards were announced on July 22, 2022, at the National Media Center in New Delhi. After being delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the movies of 2020 were awarded this year. The Tamil movie Soorarai Pottru won the most awards, including Best Film, Best Actor for Suriya, and Best Actress for Aparrna Balamurali. Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior earned Suriya and Ajay Devgn a joint Best Actor. Tanhaji was also named Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment.

In recognition of her performance in Sivaranjaniyum Innum Sila Pengalum, which also took home awards for Best Tamil Film and Best Editing, Lakshmi Priyaa Chandramouli was named Best Supporting Actress.

Varun Buddhadev, a young actor in Toolsidas Junior, received a special jury mention for the best Hindi film. Best Location Sound and Best Kannada Film were awarded to Dollu. Best Cinematography and Best Bengali Film awards went to Avijatrik. Thinkalazhcha Nishchayam won Best Malayalam Film, while Colour Photo won Best Telugu Film.

The Most Film-Friendly State was chosen as Madhya Pradesh, and Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh received special mentions.

Malayalam thriller Ayyappanum Koshiyum won two significant awards - K R Sachidanandan, known professionally as Sachy, won Best Director posthumously, and Biju Menon Best Supporting Actor. Sachy died of cardiac arrest in 2020 at the age of 47.

Vipul Shah, a director, was in charge of this year's feature film jury, while Dharam Gulati, a panel member and a cinematographer, announced the winners. The live ceremony of the 68th Awards, which was held online, only announced the winners' names. Later this year, there will be an event where the National Film Awards will be presented. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting's Directorate of Film Festivals oversees the event and is in charge of planning it.

Here is the complete list of winners-

Best Actor: Soorarai Pottru (Tamil); Actor: Suriya & Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior (Hindi); Actor: Ajay Devgn

Best Actress: Soorarai Pottru (Tamil); Actress: Aparrna Balamurali

Best Direction: AK Ayyappanum Koshiyum (Malayalam); Director: Sachidanandan KR

Best Children’s Film: Sumi (Marathi); Producer: Harshall Kamat Entertainment; Director: Amol Vasant Gole

Best Film on Environment Conservation/Preservation: Taledanda (Beheading a Life )(Kannada) Producer: Krupanidhi Kreations; Director: Praveen Krupakar

Best Film on Social Issues (Themes such as prohibition, women and child empowerment, social evils like dowry, drug abuse, empowerment of differently-abled people, tribal and indigeneous people etc.): Funeral (Marathi); Producer: Before After Entertainment; Director: Vivek Dubey

Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment: Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior (Hindi); Producer: Ajay Devgn FFilms; Director: Om Raut

Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director: Mandela (Tamil); Producer: YNOT Studios; Director: Madonne Ashwin

Best Screenplay: Soorarai Pottru (Tamil) Screenplay writer (original): Shalini Usha Nair & Sudha Kongara
Mandela (Tamil); Dialogue Writer: Madonne Ashwin

Best Cinematography: Avijatrik (The Wanderlust of Apu) (Bengali); Cameraman: Supratim Bhol

Best Female Playback Singer: AK Ayyappanum Koshiyum (Malayalam); Singer: Nanchamma

Best Male Playback Singer: Mi Vasantrao (I Am Vasantrao) (Marathi); Singer: Rahul Deshpande

Best Child Artist: Tak-Tak (Marathi); Child Artist: Anish Mangesh Gosavi; Sumi (Marathi); Child Artist: Akanksha Pingle &Divyesh Indulkar

Best Supporting Actress: Sivaranjaniyum Innum Sila Pengallum (Tamil); Supporting Actress: Lakshmi Priya Chandramouli

Best Supporting Actor: AK Ayyappanum Koshiyum (Malayalam); Supporting Actor: Biju Menon

Feature films

Best Telugu Film: Colour Photo

Best Tamil Film: Sivaranjaniyum Innum Sila Pengallum

Best Malayalam Film: Thinkalazcha Nishchayam

Best Marathi Film: Gostha Eka Paithanichi

Best Kannada Film: Dollu

Best Hindi Film: Toolsidas Junior

Best Bengali Film: Avijatrik

Best Assamese Film: Bridge

Best Action Direction Award: AK Ayyappanum Koshiyum

Best Choreography: Natyam (Telugu)

Best Lyrics: Saina (Hindi)

Best Music Direction: Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo (Telugu) - Music Director (Songs): Thaman S

Best Music Director (Background Score): Soorarai Pottru (Tamil) - GV Prakash Kumar

Best Make-up Artist: Natyam ( Dance)(Telugu); Make-up Artist: TV Rambabu

Best Costume Designer: Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior(Hindi); Costume Designer: Nachiket Barve & Mahesh Sherla

Best Production Design: Kappela (Chapel) (Malayalam); Production Designer: Anees Nadodi

Best Editing: Sivaranjaniyum Innum Sila Pengallum(Tamil); Editor: Sreekar Prasad

Best Audiography: Dollu (Kannada); Location Sound Recordist (for sync sound films only): Jobin Jayan
Mi Vasantrao (I Am Vasantrao)  (Marathi); Sound Designer: Anmol Bhave
Malik (Malayalam); Re- recordist of the final mixed track: Vishnu Govind & Sree Sankar

Best Tulu Film: Jeetige

Best Dimasa Film: Semkhor

Best Haryanvi Film: Dada Lakhmi

Special mentions: Vaanku (Malayalam), June (Marathi), Avwanchhit
(Marathi) and Godakaath (Marathi), Toolsidas Junior (Hindi)

Non-feature films

Best Voice-over/ Narration: Shobha Tharoor Sreenivasan, Rhapsody of Rains - Monsoons of Kerala (English)

Best Music Direction: Vishal Bhardwaj for 1232 Kms: Marenge Toh Wahin Jaakar

Best Editing: Anadi Athaley for Borderlands

Best On-Location Sound Recordist: Sandip Bhati & Pradeep Lekhwar, Jadui Jangal for Magical Forest

Best Audiography: Ajit Singh Rathore, Pearl of the Desert (Rajasthani)

Best Cinematography: Nikhil S Praveen for Shabdikkunna Kalappa

Best Direction: Oh That’s Bhanu (English, Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi)

Best Film on Family Values: Kumkumarchan (Worship of the Goddess) (Marathi)

Best Short Fiction Film: Kachichinithu

Special Jury Award: Admitted (Hindi and English) Director: Ojaswee Sharma

Best Investigative Film: The Saviour: Brig. Pritam Singh (Punjabi)

Best Exploration/Adventure Film: Wheeling the Ball (English and Hindi)

Best Educational Film: Dreaming of Words (Malayalam)

Best Film on Social Issues: Justice Delayed but Delivered

Best Film on Social Issues: Three Sisters (Bengali)

Best Environment Film: Manah Aru Manuh (Manas and People) (Assamese)

Best Promotional Film: Surmounting Challenges (English)

Best Science and Technology Films: On the brink season 2- Bats (English)

Best Arts and Culture Film: Naadada Navaneeta DR PT Venkateshkumar

Best Biographical Film: Pabung Syam (Manipuri)

Best Ethnographic Film: Mandal ke Bol (Hindi)

Best Debut Non-Feature Film of a Director: Pariah (Marathi and Hindi)

Best Non-Feature Film: Testimony of Ana

Best book on cinema: The longest kiss, by Kishwar Desai

Best book on cinema (Special Mention): MIT Anubhavangalude Pusthakam, Kali Paine Kalira Cinema

Most film-friendly state: Madhya Pradesh