SRK, Vikrant Massey, and Rani Mukerji among top honours at National Film Awards 2025

Highlights

• Shah Rukh Khan and Vikrant Massey share Best Actor for Jawan and 12th Fail
  
• Rani Mukerji named Best Actress for Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway
  
• 12th Fail wins Best Feature Film
• Sudipto Sen bags Best Director for The Kerala Story
  
• Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani wins Best Popular Film
• Regional cinema shines with major wins across languages
• Non-feature awards highlight documentaries, short films, debut talent, and technical brilliance

Feature Film Category Winners

Top Honours

• Best Feature Film: 12th Fail
  
  
• Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment: Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani
  
  
• Best Director: Sudipto Sen – The Kerala Story
  
  
• Best Actor (Joint Winners):
  
  
  • Shah Rukh Khan – Jawan
    
    
  • Vikrant Massey – 12th Fail
    
    
• Best Actress: Rani Mukerji – Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway
  
  

Language-Wise Best Feature Films

• Hindi: Kathal: A Jackfruit Mystery
  
  
• Tamil: Parking
  
  
• Telugu: Bhagavanth Kesari
  
  
• Malayalam: Ullozhukku
  
  
• Marathi: Shyamchi Aai
  
  
• Kannada: Kandeelu – The Ray of Hope
  
  
• Gujarati: Vash
  
  
• Bengali: Deep Fridge
  
  
• Assamese: Rangatapu 1982
  
  

Supporting Roles

• Best Supporting Actor:
  
  
  • Vijayaraghavan – Pookalam
    
    
  • Muthupettai Somu Bhaskar – Parking
    
    
• Best Supporting Actress:
  
  
  • Urvashi – Ullozhukku
    
    
  • Janki Bodiwala – Vash
    
    

Performance by Child Artists

• Sukriti Veni Bandireddi
• Kabir Khandare
• Treesh Thosar
• Others (special mentions)

Technical & Creative Awards

• Best Cinematography: The Kerala Story
  
  
• Best Editing: Pookalam
  
  
• Best Sound Design: Animal
  
  
• Best Production Design: 2018: Everyone Is a Hero
  
  
• Best Make-Up & Costume Design: Sam Bahadur
  
  
• Best Action Direction: Hanu-Man
  
  
• Best Choreography: Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani
  
  
• Best Lyrics: "Ooru Palleturu" – Balagam
  
  
• Best Music Direction (Songs): Vaathi
  
  
• Best Background Score: Animal
  
  
• Best Playback Singer – Female: Shilpa Rao – Jawan
  
  
• Best Playback Singer – Male: Rohit – Baby
  
  

Screenplay & Dialogue

• Best Screenplay – Original: Baby (Telugu)
• Best Screenplay – Adapted: Parking (Tamil)
• Best Dialogue: Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai
  
  

Non-Feature Film Category Winners

Documentaries, Shorts and Special Recognition

• Best Non-Feature Film: God Vulture and Human
  
  
• Best Arts & Culture Film: Timeless Tamil Nadu
  
  
• Best Short Fiction Film: Giddh – The Scavenger
  
  
• Best Biographical/Historical Reconstruction:
  
  
  • Mo Bou Mo Gaan
    
    
  • Lentina Ao (shared)
• Best Debut Non-Feature Film of a Director: The Spirit Dreams of Cheraw
  
  
• Best Film on Social Issues: The Silent Epidemic
  
  

Craft and Performance in Non-Feature

• Best Cinematography: Little Wings
  
  
• Best Editing: Moving Focus
  
  
• Best Sound Design: Dhundhgiri Ke Phool
  
  
• Best Music Direction: The First Film
  
  
• Best Voice-Over/Narration: The Sacred Jackfruit Tree
  
  
• Best Direction: The First Film
  
  
• Best Script: Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know (Kannada)

Special Mentions

• Nekal – Chronicle of the Paddy Man
  
  
• The Sea and Seven Villages
  
  

Writing on Cinema

 
• Best Film Critic: Utpal Datta

  - YouTube YouTube/ PIB India 

Why this year’s awards matter

The 71st National Film Awards spotlighted both star power and emerging voices, celebrating cinema that spans languages, genres, and formats. From the emotional depth of 12th Fail to the mainstream brilliance of Jawan and Rocky Aur Rani, this year’s honours balanced impact, artistry and popularity. The non-feature segment reinforced India's strength in short-form storytelling and documentary cinema, while regional cinema remained a powerful force across categories.