President Droupadi Murmu confers 70th National Film Awards

President Droupadi Murmu yesterday conferred the 70th National Film Awards for the year 2022 in New Delhi. On this occasion, legendary actor Mithun Chakraborty has been honored with the Dadasaheb Phalke Lifetime Achievement Award, the highest recognition in the field of cinema. Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwani Vaishnaw and Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Dr. L. Murugan were also present at the event.

Addressing the gathering, the President congratulated actor Mithun Chakraborty for receiving the award. President Murmu highlighted and appreciated the contributions made by Mr. Chakraborty in the film industry. The President also appreciated the awarded films, stating that these films will bring a positive change in society.

Speaking on the occasion, Information and Broadcasting Minister Vaishnaw said that the government is working towards developing the film industry with a three-pronged approach: Talent Development, Infrastructure, and Simplification. He extended heartfelt congratulations to all the winners, emphasizing that these National Film Awards celebrate the hard work and brilliance of filmmakers. He said, the collective efforts of all stakeholders create the magic of Indian cinema. 

These films honored today were initiated during the pandemic and showcase the resilience of our society and country. The Minister highlighted that nine debut directors were recognized for their bold storytelling. Underscoring the National Creators Award initiative, he said that the Modi government, in its historic third term, is committed to providing a dimension to this creator economy.

In his welcome address, Secretary of Information and Broadcasting Sanjay Jaju said that for the year 2022, the Ministry had received entries totaling 309 films in 32 different languages in the feature film category and 128 films in 17 languages in the non-feature



category. He added that the Ministry is committed to supporting Indian cinema through various initiatives, and one of the key steps has been the amendment to the Cinematograph Act, which will modernize the certification process and also help in combating piracy.

The prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Lifetime Achievement Award not only recognizes Mithun Chakraborty’s artistic prowess but also his enduring legacy as a compassionate and dedicated individual who has made a difference in the lives of many. In other categories of Nationa Film Awards, Rishab Shetty received the Best Actor award for his outstanding performance in the Kannada film Kantara, while the Best Actress award was given to Nithya Menen for the Tamil film Thiruchitrambalam and Manasi Parekh for the Gujarati film Kutch Express. Film Critic Deepak Dua has been honored with Golden Lotus Award  while Anirudha Bhattacharjee and Parthiv Dhar received golden lotus under Best Book on Cinema category for Kishore Kumar: 

The Ultimate Biography. . The Best Feature Film was given to the Malayalam film Aattam, while Ayena recognized as the Best Non-Feature Film. Sooraj Barjatya honored as the Best Director for his film Uunchai. In the feature film category, Gulmohar received the Best Hindi Film award and Haryanvi film Fouja received the Best Lyrics award in the non-feature film category.Renowned  actor Manoj Bajpayee has bagged ‘Special Mention’ for hindi film Gulmohar while filmmaker Karan Johar received ‘Best Film in AVGC’ award for the film ‘Brahmastra Part-I’. In the music category, Arijit Singh was awarded Best Male Playback Singer, and Bombay Jayashri received the Best Female Playback Singer award. Other notable films, including Ponniyin Selvan Part I, KGF 2, Brahmastra, Aparajito, Emuthi Puthi, Kaberi Antardhan, Daman,and Baghi Di Dhee, were also recognized for their contributions.