The prestigious 69th National Film Awards ceremony was held at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, where President Droupadi Murmu presented the awards to the winners. Notable honorees included Best Actor awardees Allu Arjun, Alia Bhatt, and Kriti Sanon.

Announced in August by filmmaker Ketan Mehta, who chaired the 11-member jury, the 69th National Film Awards recognized outstanding films from 2021. Allu Arjun was awarded Best Actor for his role in Sukumar’s ‘Pushpa: The Rise,’ while Best Actress was jointly won by Alia Bhatt for ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ and Kriti Sanon for her performance in Laxman Utekar’s ‘Mimi.’

‘Rocketry: The Nambi Effect,’ a biographical drama by R. Madhavan, received the Best Feature Film award. Nikhil Mahajan was recognized as the Best Director for the Marathi film ‘Godavari,’ and Sanjay Leela Bhansali won the National Award for Best Editing for ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi,’ ANI reported.

Pankaj Tripathi, known for his role in ‘Mimi’ alongside Kriti Sanon, was honored as the Best Supporting Actor, while Pallavi Joshi received the Best Supporting Actress award for ‘The Kashmir Files.’

The Telugu version of the multilingual film ‘RRR’ was recognized as the Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, and ‘The Kashmir Files,’ directed by Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri, received the Nargis Dutt Award for Best Film on National Integration.

The ceremony also paid tribute to industry luminaries, including Rajamouli, Karan Johar, Chandrabose, M. M. Keeravani, and Devi Sri Prasad, for their significant contributions to the world of cinema.