| 63rd National Film Awards | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | Best of Indian cinema in 2015 |
| Awarded by | Directorate of Film Festivals |
| Presented by | Pranab Mukherjee (President of India) |
| Announced on | 28 March 2016 (2016-03-28) |
| Presented on | 3 May 2016 (2016-05-03) |
| Official website | dff.nic.in |
| Highlights | |
| Best Feature Film | Baahubali: The Beginning |
| Best Non-Feature Film | Amdavad Ma Famous |
| Best Book | Dr. Rajkumar Samagra Charithre |
| Best Film Critic | Meghachandra Kongbam |
| Dadasaheb Phalke Award | Manoj Kumar |
| Most awards | Bajirao Mastani (7) |
The63rd National Film Awards was an award ceremony during which theDirectorate of Film Festivals of India presented its annualNational Film Awards to honour the best films of 2015 inIndian cinema. The awards were announced on 28 March 2016 and the ceremony was held on 3 May 2016.[1]
The Directorate of Film Festivals invited nominations for the awards in January 2016. The acceptable last date for entries was until 13 January 2016. Feature and Non-Feature Films certified byCentral Board of Film Certification between 1 January 2015, and 31 December 2015, were eligible for the film award categories. Books, critical studies, reviews or articles on cinema published in Indian newspapers, magazines, and journals between 1 January 2015, and 31 December 2015, were eligible for the best writing on cinema section. Entries of dubbed, revised or copied versions of a film or translation, abridgements, edited or annotated works and reprints were ineligible for the awards.[1]
For the Feature and Non-Feature Films sections, films in any Indian language, shot on16 mm,35 mm, a wider film gauge or adigital format, and released in cinemas, on video or digital formats for home viewing were eligible. Films were required to be certified as a feature film, a featurette or a Documentary/Newsreel/Non-Fiction by the Central Board of Film Certification.[1]
The awards aim at encouraging study and appreciation of cinema as an art form and dissemination of information and critical appreciation of this art-form through a State Government Policy.
| Award | Name of State | Citation |
|---|---|---|
| Best Film Friendly State | State ofGujarat | Film Policy for Promotion of Gujarati Cinema. |
Introduced in 1969, theDadasaheb Phalke Award is the highest award given to recognise the contributions of film personalities towards the development of Indian cinema and for distinguished contributions to the medium, its growth and promotion.[2]
A committee consisting five eminent personalities from Indian film industry was appointed to evaluate the lifetime achievement award, Dadasaheb Phalke Award. Following were the jury members.[3]
| • Lata Mangeshkar |
| • Asha Bhosle |
| • Nitin Mukesh |
| • Salim Khan |
| • Anup Jalota |
| Name of Award | Image | Awardee(s) | Awarded As | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dadasaheb Phalke Award |  | Manoj Kumar | Actor, filmmaker | Swarna Kamal,₹1 million (US$12,000) and a Shawl |
Feature films will be awarded at All India as well as regional level. Following will be the awards given in each category:
A committee headed byRamesh Sippy was appointed to evaluate the feature films awards. Following were the jury members:[4]
Following will be the awards given:
Official Name: Swarna Kamal
All the awardees are awarded with 'Golden Lotus Award (Swarna Kamal)', a certificate and cash prize.
| Name of Award | Name of Film | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best Feature Film | Baahubali: The Beginning | Telugu | Producer:Shobu Yarlagadda &Arka Media Works (P) LTD. director:S. S. Rajamouli | ₹ 250,000/- Each |
| Best Debut Film of a Director | Masaan | Hindi | Producer:Phantom Films Director:Neeraj Ghaywan | ₹ 1,25,000/- Each |
| Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment | Bajrangi Bhaijaan | Hindi | Producer:Salman Khan &Rockline Venkatesh Director:Kabir Khan | ₹ 200,000/- Each |
| Best Children's Film | Duronto | Hindi | Producer: Code Red Films Director: Soumnedra Padhi | ₹ 150,000/- Each |
| Best Direction | Bajirao Mastani | Hindi | Sanjay Leela Bhansali | ₹ 250,000/- |
Official Name: Rajat Kamal
All the awardees are awarded with 'Silver Lotus Award (Rajat Kamal)', a certificate and cash prize.
The award is given to best film in the regional languages in India.
Best Feature Film in Each of the Language Other Than Those Specified in the Schedule VIII of the Constitution
| Name of Award | Name of Film | Awardee(s) | Cash Prize | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Producer(s) | Director | |||
| Best Feature Film in Haryanvi | Satrangi | Punam Deswal Sharma | Sundeep Sharma | ₹ 100,000/- Each |
| Best Feature Film in Khasi | Onaatah | • Pomu Das • Marjina Kurbah | Pradip Kurbah | ₹ 100,000/- Each |
| Best Feature Film in Mizo | Kima's Lode Beyond the Class | Children's Film Society | Zualaa Chhangte | ₹ 100,000/- Each |
| Best Feature Film in Wancho | The Head Hunter | Splash Films Private Limited | Nilanjan Datta | ₹ 100,000/- Each |
Short Films made in any Indian language and certified by the Central Board of Film Certification as a documentary/newsreel/fiction are eligible for non-feature film section.
Official Name: Swarna Kamal
All the awardees are awarded with 'Golden Lotus Award (Swarna Kamal)', a certificate and cash prize.
| Name of Award | Name of Film | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best Non-Feature Film | Amdavad Ma Famous | Gujrati | Producer: Akanksha Tewari & Arya A. Menon Director: Hardik Mehta | ₹ 100,000/- Each |
| Best Non-Feature Film Direction | Kamuki | Malayalam | Producer:Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute Director: Christo Tomy | ₹ 50,000/- Each |
Official Name: Rajat Kamal
All the Awardees are awarded with 'Silver Lotus Award (Rajat Kamal)' and cash prize.
| Name of Award | Name of Film | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best First Non-Feature Film | Daaravtha | Marathi | Producer: Nishantroy Bombarde Director: Nishantroy Bombarde | ₹ 50,000/- Each |
| Best Anthropological / Ethnographic Film | Aoleang | English | Producer: Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies Director: Ranajit Ray Assistant Director – Goutam Sharma | ₹ 50,000/- Each |
| Best Biographical Film /Best Historical Reconstruction / Compilation Film | Life in Metaphors: A Portrait of Girish Kasaravalli | English And Kannada | Producer: Reelism Film Director: O.P. Shrivastava | ₹ 50,000/- Each |
| Best Arts / Cultural Film | • A Far Afternoon – A Painted Saga • Yazhpanam Thedchanamoorthy – Music Beyond Boundaries | Hindi, English Tamil | Producer: Piramal Art Foundation Director: Sruti Harihara Subramanian Producer: Siddhartha Productions Director: Amshan Kumar | ₹ 50,000/- Each (Cash Component to be shared) |
| Best Environment Film includingBest Agricultural Film | • The Man who Dwarfed the Mountains • God on the Edge | Hindi,English English, Bengali | Producer:Rajiv Mehrotra, PSBT Director: Ruchi Shrivastava & Sumit Sunderlal Khanna Producer:Elements Picture Studio Director:Ashok Patel | ₹ 50,000/- Each (Cash Component to be shared) |
| Best Promotional Film | Weaves of Maheshwar | Hindi, English | Producer: Storyloom Films Director:Keya Vaswani & Nidhi Kamath | ₹ 50,000/- Each |
| Best Film on Social Issues | Auto Driver | Manipuri | Producer: Oinam Doren, Longjam Meena Devi Director: Longjam Meena Devi | ₹ 50,000/- Each |
| Best Educational / Motivational / Instructional Film | Paywat | Marathi | Producer: Mithunchandra Chaudhari Director: Nayana Dolas & Mithunchandra Chaudhari | ₹ 50,000/- Each |
| Best Exploration / Adventure Film | Dribbling with their Future | English, Tamil & Kannada | Producer: N. Dinesh Raj Kumar & Mathew Varghese Director: Jacob Varghese | ₹ 50,000/- Each |
| Best Investigative Film | Tezpur 1962 | English | Producer:Films Division of India Director: Samujjal Kashyap | ₹ 50,000/- Each |
| Best Animation Film | Fisherwoman and TukTuk | No Dialogues | Producer: Nilima Eriyat Director: Suresh Eriyat Animator: Studio Eeksaurus Productions Private Limited | ₹ 50,000/- Each |
| Best Short Fiction Film | Aushadh | Marathi | Producer: Amol Deshmukh Director: Amol Deshmukh | ₹ 50,000/- Each |
| Best Film on Family Welfare | Best Friends Forever | English | Producer: Syed Sultan Ahmed (Edumedia India Pvt. Ltd.) Director: Sandeep Modi | ₹ 50,000/- Each |
| Best Cinematography | Benaras- The Unexplored Attachments | Bengali | Cameraman: Amartya Bhattacharyya Laboratory Processing: | ₹ 50,000/- Each |
| Best Audiography | Edpa Kana | Kudukh | Moumita Roy | ₹ 50,000/- |
| Best Editing | Breaking Free | English | Parvin Angre and Sridhar Rangayan | ₹ 50,000/- |
| Best Music Direction | A Far Afternoon- A Painted Saga | Hindi, English | Aravind – Shankar | ₹ 50,000/- |
| Special Jury Award | In Search Of Fading Canvas | Hindi | Producer: Films Division Director: Manohar Singh Bisht | ₹ 50,000/- Each |
| Special Mention | The Chameleone | English | Arun Shankar | Certificate only |
| Amma | Malayalam | Neelan | ||
| Syaahi | Marathi | Varun Tandon |
The awards aim at encouraging study and appreciation of cinema as an art form and dissemination of information and critical appreciation of this art-form through publication of books, articles, reviews etc.
Official Name: Swarna Kamal
All the awardees are awarded with 'Golden Lotus Award (Swarna Kamal)' and cash prize.
| Name of Award | Name of Book | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best Book on Cinema | Dr. Rajkumar Samagra Charithre | Kannada | Author: Doddahulluru Rukkoji Publisher: Preeti Pustaka Prakashana | ₹ 75,000/- Each |
| Best Film Critic | Manipuri | Meghachandra Kongbam | ₹ 75,000/- | |
| Special Mention (Book on Cinema) | Forgotten Masters of Hindi Cinema | Author: Satish Chopra | Certificate Only |