This year, Bollywood bagged most of the big awards, while a few gems from regional cinema also made its presence felt.
Many of Bollywood’s high power commercial hits have bagged awards at the 63rd National Film Awards 2016.
While Sanjay Leela Bhansali got the Best Director award for his Maratha epic Bajirao Mastani, S. S. Rajamouli’s Baahubali bagged the award for Best Film.
Amitabh Bachchan got the Best Actor honour for playing the cantankerous father in Piku. This is the fourth time he’s picked up this prestigious award.
Kangana Ranaut’s double-trouble performance in Tanu Weds Manu Returns won her Best Actress, second time in a row after her superb performance in Queen.
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Salman Khan’s Bajrangi Bhaijaan bagged the Best Popular Film award. Debutant director Neeraj Ghaywan was given the Indira Gandhi Best Debut Director award for Masaan.
Besides Best Director, Bajirao Mastani received a couple more awards. Tanvi Azmi won for Best Supporting Actress, while Remo D’souza was felicitated for his choreography. Also, Sudeep Chatterjee, who previously worked on Chak De India and Baby, was hailed the Best Cinematographer.
Ayushmann Khurrana’s Dum Laga ke Haisha won in the Best Hindi Film category. Juhi Chaturvedi, screenplay writer of Piku, and Himanshu Sharma of Tanu Weds Manu Returns, received the Best Screenplay Writer and Dialogues awards.
The awards, given away by the President, also managed to throw light on many underrated movies that we may have missed out on last year, especially those from regional cinema.
Kalki Koechlin was given the Special Jury Award for her powerful performance as a girl with cerebral palsy in Margarita With a Straw.
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Duronto, starring Manoj Bajpai, was given the Best Children’s Film award. The film is about Budhia Singh, a forgotten child-marathon runner.
Coming to regional films, Visaranai, produced by Dhanush, won the Best Tamil Film and Best Editing awards. Actor-director Samuthirakani won the Best Supporting Actor for the same film. Illayaraja, now 72 years old, won his fifth national award for his music composition for Tharai Thappattai.
Ritika Singh, who starred as the fiery boxer in Saala Khadoos and its Tamil version Irudhi Suttru, got a Special Mention Award for her performance.
When it comes to the Malayalam film industry, there were quite a few recognitions. While Mammooty’s Pathemaari grabbed the Best Malayalam Film title, Nirnayakam won the Best Film on Social Issues. The film, directed by V K Prakash, depicts the negligence of human rights.
Jayachandran’s song, Kaathirinnu from Ennum Ninte Moideen won the Best Song title.
A Malayalam-French-English movie, which highlights the effects of the pesticide endosulfan and the controversy surrounding it in Kerala, won for Best Film on Environment Conservation.
Valiya Chirakulla Pakshikal (Birds with Large Wings in English) stars Kunchako Boban and Nedumudi Venu.
Other regional films that won awards for being the best in their region include Thithi in Kannada, Kanche in Telugu, Ringan in Marathi, Sankachil in Bengali, and Chauthi Koot in Punjabi.
In a new category, Gujarat was named the most film-friendly state, along with Uttar Pradesh and Kerala.
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