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Fair wins or diplomatic picks? National Film Awards 2025 has the internet divided over SRK, The Kerala Story, and more!

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Sakshi Sharma
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National Film Awards 2025 winners

More than the usual discussions around snubs and well-deserved wins, this year’s winner list of the Indian National Awards 2025 has sparked heated debates and controversies raising serious questions about whether or not we're rewarding the right films.

Awards may just be trophies to some and while winning or losing doesn't always reflect the hard work behind a film, they can also serve as powerful validation. Especially when it comes to the 71st National Film Awards, the recognition carries weight, after all, the country is honoring your work among films from across India. In its early days, the National Film Awards were known for giving space to unheard voices and underrepresented stories. This year too, films like Ullozhukku (Best Malayalam Film), Kathal (Best Hindi Film), Parking (Best Tamil Film) and more are likely to gain more visibility because of their wins. However, in recent years, these platforms have also become a source of online debate every year. This year was no different, as many questioned choices like Shah Rukh Khan winning Best Actor for Jawan, Best Screenplay going to Baby, and The Kerala Story winning Best Cinematography and Best Director for Sudipto Sen. 

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It’s not so much about whether these films were deserving or not, but more about what criteria is actually used to decide these awards. Most people criticizing SRK’s win aren’t saying he didn’t deserve it at all, rather they’re asking why he wasn’t recognized earlier for films like Swades, Chak De! India, or My Name Is Khan, where his performances were more defining as an actor, unlike Jawan, which leaned more on his superstardom. Still, him finally winning a National Award after 33 years in the industry is being celebrated as much deserved, though long overdue. Alongside SRK, Vikrant Massey was also awarded Best Actor for his grounded role in 12th Fail, which also won Best Film. But by giving two actors the Best Performance award, are the National Awards just trying to please everyone? Adding to the conversation, Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani won Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, while Sam Bahadur was honored as Best Film Promoting National and Social Values. Though Rani Mukerji’s win as the Best Actor (Female) for Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway is being lauded by everyone as the much deserved win. 

The bigger debate this year is around the National Award presented to The Kerala Story, a film that has been surrounded by controversy since its release. Often labeled as propaganda, its National Award win has garnered it in yet another heated politicised debate as it has been widely criticized, even by the state itself. Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan publicly condemned the jury’s decision, calling it an insult to the legacy of Indian cinema, which has long stood for religious harmony and national unity. He stated that awarding a film built on misinformation, aimed at defaming Kerala and spreading communalism, was deeply disappointing. The FTII Student Association also raised objections against NFDC’s judgment. Online too, outrage is growing, with many calling the win a political move to further government-backed narratives. With powerful titles like Aadujeevitham in competition, this decision has raised serious questions about the jury’s selection criteria - questions only they can answer.

Yet in all of this, the audience is celebrating the win of supporting actors Urvashi for Ullozhukku and M S Bhaskar for Parking, who are being lauded for receiving much derserved recognition! 

The 71st National Film Awards, presented by the National Film Development Corporation of India, were announced on August 1, 2025, to honour the best of Indian cinema from 2023. With 332 feature films, 115 non-feature films, 27 books, and 16 critics' entries submitted, the awards considered works certified between January 1 and December 31, 2023. A two-tier evaluation process was followed, involving five regional committees and a central jury led by director Ashutosh Gowariker. Each regional jury had members from outside their respective zones to ensure impartiality.

Here is the full list of winners for Feature films! 

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

What did you think of the National Film Awards 2025 winners? Tell us in the commenst below! 

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SRK national film award the kerala story jawan