National Film Awards 2023: Best Picture for Rocketry, Waheeda Rehman conferred Dadasaheb Phalke Award and RRR, Sardar Udham, other big winners

The big winners at the National Award 2023 include R Madhavan's Rocketry: The Nambi Effect; Alia Bhatt for Gangubai Kathiawadi; Sardar Udham; RRR, among others.

Weeks after the history-making Moon landing of Chandrayaan-3, Indian cinema looked back on a controversial chapter in the country's achievements in outer space by bestowing the Swarna Kamal for the Best Picture on Rocketry: The Nambi Effect at the 69th National Film Awards last evening.

Tamil actor R Madhavan, who made his directorial debut with Rocketry, received the award from President Droupadi Murmu at a glittering awards ceremony held at the Vigyan Bhavan. Rocketry, which tells the story of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) scientist Nambi Narayan's arrest and acquittal from an espionage charge, marked the second year a Tamil film received the National Award for Best Picture. Soorarai Pottru by Sudha Kongara had won the honour last year.

Madhavan, who was appointed president of the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune last month, wrote, directed and co-produced the film in which he plays the role of ISRO scientist Narayan. Rocketry was part of the market screenings at the Cannes Film Festival last year before its theatrical release worldwide.

Acting legend Waheeda Rehman, famous for her work in such films as Pyaasa (1957), Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959) and Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962), received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for outstanding contribution to Indian cinema by President Murmu. Asha Parekh had won the highest honour in Indian cinema last year.

"I was lucky to work with the top directors, producers, filmmakers, technicians, dialogue writers, music directors and singers. I want to share this award with all the departments of the film industry. One person can't make a complete film, all of us have to work together," Rehman said in her acceptance speech.

Hindi film Gangubai Kathiawadi by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, based on the real-life story of Gangubai Harjeevandas, a sex worker in Mumbai's Kamathipura who became a champion for the rights of sex workers in the '60s, bagged five awards, including Best Actress for Alia Bhatt, which she shared with Kriti Sanon for her role as a surrogate mother in the Hindi film Mimi by Laxman Utekar. Gangubhai won the Best Screenplay award for Bhansali and Utkarshini Vashishtha, Best Dialogue Writer for Vashishtha and Prakash Kapadia, Best Editing for Bhansali and Best Make-up for Preetisheel Singh.

Telugu blockbuster RRR, which won the Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Original Song for Naatu Naatu early this year, picked up six National Awards — Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, Best Music Direction (Background Music) for MM Keeravaani, Best Male Playback Singer for Kaala Bhairava, Best Choreography for Prem Rakshith, Best Special Effects for Srinivas Mohan and Best Stunt Choreography for King Soloman.

The Best Director award went to Nikhil Mahajan for the Marathi film Godavari. Telugu actor Allu Arjun won the Best Actor award for his portrayal of real-life sandalwood smuggler Pushpa Raj in Pushpa: The Rise while Pallavi Joshi took the Best Supporting Actress prize for The Kashmir Files. The Best Supporting Actor award went to Pankaj Tripathi, who had won a Special Mention for Hindi film Newton at the 65th National Film Awards, for Mimi.

The Kashmir Files directed by Vivek Agnihotri was another winner at the National Film Awards this year bagging the Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration. Among other prominent winners was Sardar Udham, Shoojit Sircar's biopic of revolutionary Udham Singh, which was adjudged the Best Hindi Film. Sardar Udham had a haul of five awards, including Best Cinematography for Avik Mukhopadhayay, Best Costume Designer for Veera Kapur Ee and Best Production Design for Dmitrii Malich and Mansi Dhruv Mehta. The film also picked up the Best Audiography (Re-recordist of the final mixed track) for Sinoy Joseph.

Gujarati film Chhello Show (The Last Film Show) by Pan Nalin, India's entry for International Feature Film at the Oscars this year, won two awards — Best Gujarati Film and Best Child Artist for Bhavin Rabari, who plays the role of a nine-year-old boy in a Saurashtra village who dreams of becoming a filmmaker after coming across celluloid reels in the projection room of his village cinema.

The Best Children’s Film prize was won by Gujarat film Gandhi and Co. by Manish Saini. Malayalam film Meppadiyan won the Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director for Vishnu Mohan while Reema Borah's Assamese film Anunaad: The Resonance about trafficking of girls as brides from Assam's tea gardens to Haryana won the Best Film on Social Issues. The Best Film on Environment Conservation/Preservation was won by Malayalam film Aavasavyuham: The Arbit Documentation of An Amphibian Hunt by Krishand, which explores human being's troubled relationship with nature.

Shreya Ghoshal won the Best Female Playback Singer award for Maayava Thooyava composed by AR Rahman in the Tamil film Iravin Nizhal by R Parthiban while Chandrabose received the Best Lyrics prize for Dham Dham Dham in Telugu film Konda Polam. In the language categories, 777 Charlie won the Best Kannada Film award. The other winners were Home (Malayalam), Kadaisi Vivasayi (Tamil), Uppena (Telugu), Samanantar (Maithili), Boomba Ride (Mishing), Ekda Kaay Zala (Marathi), Kalkokkho (Bengali), Anur (Assamese), Eikhoigi Yum (Meiteilon) and Pratikshya (Odiya).

The Best Non-Feature Film award was won by Ek Tha Gaon (Once Upon a Village), the powerful story of ghost villages in Uttarakhand directed by Srishti Lakhera. The Best Direction award in the non-feature film category went to Bakul Matiyani for the Hindi short film Smile Please. Gujarati short film Paanchika (Five Pebbles) by Ankit Kothari won the award for Best Non-Feature Film Debut of a Director. The award for the Best Animation Film was bagged by Malayalam short film Kandittundu by Aditi Krishnadas.