The National Film Awards is considered the most prestigious of all awards offered to movies and works related to Indian cinema. On the 3rd of March, 2014, the National Award was given to films and best writings on cinema. This was the 61st National Film Awards that honored works in Indian cinema made between 1st January and 31st December of 2013.
Award for the best Feature film: was received by Ship of Theseus which portrays the story of how a stock broker, a Jain monk and a photographer are united through strange circumstances. Aida El-Kashef, who acted in this film, won the Best Supporting Actress Award, alongside Amruta Subhash for the film Astu which also bagged the Best Screenplay award for Dialogues.
Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, a film based on the life of Milkha Singh, won the award for the Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainmenti.e. best commercial film. Ganesh Acharya was awarded the Best Choreography award for the song Maston Ka Jhund, for the effective use of props that are available within barracks and creating a rugged dance to portray the exuberance of young soldiers.
Awards were given to Tamil film, Thalaimuraigal the Best feature Film on National Integration, to Malayalam film, Perariyathavar for Best Film on Environment Conservation/Preservation, and to Hindi film, Kaphal for Best Children’s Film.
Shahid’s Hansal Mehta bagged the awards for the Best Director. Actor Raj Kumar of Shahid won the best Actor Award, alongside Suraj Venjaramoodu for Perariyathavar. GeetanjaliThapa received the Best Actress award for Liar’s Dice, which also won awards for the best Cinematography, presented to Rajeev Ravi. Sautabh Shukla got awarded as the Best Supporting Actor for Jolly LLB. This film was also awarded the Best Hindi Film, under the category of films in specified languages.
SomnathAvgadhewho palys the role of a Dalit teenager with ease in the Marathi film, Fandry, and Sadhana who acted in the Tamil film, Thanga Meengal, as a dyslexic child, won the Best Child Artist Award. ThangaMeengal was also awarded as the Best Tamil Film, and Na. Muthukumar was awarded for writing the Best Lyrics for the song, Ananda Yaazhai. Fandry has won its director, NagrajManjule, the Best Debut Film of a Director.
Bela Shende got awarded as the Best Female Singer for the song KhuraKhura featured in the film Tuhya Dharma Koncha. Miss Lovely received the Best Production Design award, and the Special Jury award, alongside Yellow, a Marathi film. P. Sheshadri got the Best Original Screenplay Writer award for December 1, while Panchakshari got the award for the Best Adapted Screenplay Writer.December 1 also received the Best Kannada Film award.
Madras Café’s Location Sound Recordist, NiharRanjanSamal was given the Best Audiography Award, and so was Bishwadeep Chatterjee for the Sound Design of the film. D. Yuvaraj was awarded as the Re-recordist of the final mixed track, for the Malayalam film, Swapaanam. Vallinam’s V. J. Sabu Joseph was given the Best Editing Award for the Tamil film, Vallinam. Na BangaaruTalli won the award for the Best Telugu Film, along with Best Music Direction for Background Score, won by ShantanuMoitra. Jal won the Best Special Effects award.
Ajeya was awarded the Best Assamese Film, while BakitaByaktigato won the Best Bengali Film award. Baga Beach won the award for the Best Konkani Film, North 24 Kaadham the Best Malayalam Film, and Aajcha Diwas Majha the Best Marathi Film.
The Best English Film award was given to The Coffin Maker, while RI was the Best Khasi Film, and The Crosing Bridges received the Best Sherdukpen Film.
Including both categories of feature films as well as non- feature films: the maxu=imum number of awards this year was won by the Bengali movie, Jaatishwar. Singer Rupankar won the Best Male Playback Singer award for the song E TumiKemonTumi, while KabirSuman won the award for the Best Music Direction for the songs. They have been appreciated for the special use of orchestration to depict music from different parts of Bengal, and capture the theme of the movie perfectly, especially with the title track. Apart from the awards in the music genre, the film has also won the best Costume Designer Award, given to Sabarni Das, and the Best Make- up Artist Award, presented to VikramGaikwad for his excellent work on the characters played by Prasenjit.
In the category of non- feature films: Hindi film, Rang bhoomi has been awarded the Best Film award. Christo Tomy, director of the Malayalam film, Kanyaka, won the Award for the best Debut Film of a Director. The Last Adieu won the award under the Best Bioogical/ Historical Reconstrcution category. The Best Arts/ Cultural Film Award was shared by O Friend, This Waiting! and The Lost Behrupiya. The Pad Piper bagged the Best Science & Technology Film award, while the Best Promotional Film award was, again shared by Chasing the Rainbow and Kush.
The Bets Film on Social Issues: was given to Gulabi Gang, which also won the Best Editing award, presented to Arjun Gourisaria. The award for the Best Environment Film Including Agriculturewas given to Foresting Life, while The Quantum Indians received the award for the Best Educational Film. Katiyabaaz received the best Investigative Film award, while the Bengali film, Heyro Party, won the award for the Best Film on Family Values. Special Jury Award was shared by Anathamurthy – Not A Biography … But A Hypothesis, and Kashmiri film, Tamaash.
Mandrake! Mandrake! was awarded the Best Short Fiction Film Award, and the Best Cinematography Award. Chidiya Udh, a no dialogue film, won the awards for the Best Direction, given to Pranjal Dua, and Best Audiography, given to Gautam Nair. Assamese film, Yugadrashta won the Best Music Direction Award, while Odia film, Kankee O Saapo won the award for the Best Narration/ Voice Over.
Among the special awards, Nanda gopal received the award for the Telugu book, Cinema Ga Cinema, under the Best Book on Cinema, while Alaka Sahani won the Best Film Critic Award. The Dada Saheb Phalke Award was given to Gulzar for his lifelong contribution to Indian Cinema.