71st National Film Awards 2025 Highlights: Shah Rukh Khan, Rani Mukerji win first National Awards; Vikrant Massey and 12th Fail bag trophies

Kajol took to Instagram to congratulate her old friend and frequent co-star SRK. She wrote, "Congratulations on your big win @iamsrk! #jawan #71stnationalfilmawards."

Jawan director Atlee congratulated Shah Rukh Khan on social media. He wrote in a note, "Feeling blessed, @iamsrk sir. I’m super happy that you’ve got the national award for our movie Jawan. It feels very emotional and inspiring to be part of your journey. Thank you for trusting me and giving this film, sir. It’s just my first love letter to you; a lot more to come, sir. Thank you, @gaurikhanma’am, and @RedChilliesEntfor giving this film to us, and special thanks to @poojadadlani, @_gauravverma, @karuna_badwal, Aalif sir and my team, @dop_gkvishnu, @livingstonruben, @muthurajthangavel, @kunalrajan, my direction team and special thanks to @anirudhofficial bro for giving great songs and music to Jawan, and congratulations for the chaleya song. Super, super, super happy for @shilparao to get one more national award for jawan Chaleya I feel so, so happy and emotional. This is one of my life’s most important moments; shah rukh sir being near you itself is a great blessing, sir. As a fanboy, working with you and making a film and presenting it in a mass mode of SRK, sir, is a pure, pure blessing from God, and finally, God is so kind to give us back the greatest moment in our life . Can’t ask for more, sir. This is more than enough for me; I’m the best fanboy of yours, sir. Love you. Love you. Love you. Lots of love sir

At an event, Shah Rukh had said about Kunal Kohli's films, "Fanaa was very good. I think Hum Tum was very nice. His actor won the National Award for Hum Tum when I think I should have got it, but that's another story

Shah Rukh's old friend, choreographer-director Farah Khan, congratulated him on his first National Film Award victory. She wrote on Instagram, "Congratulations my dearest @iamsrk On winning the national award!! This time the shiddat se koshish really came thru"

After winning his first National Award in over 30 years of career, Shah Rukh Khan shared a long video on his Instagram handle thanking his fans, directors, family and friends for supporting him. He wrote in the caption: 'Thank you for honouring me with the National Award. Thanks to the jury, the I&B ministry. Iss samman ke liye Bharat Sarkar ka dhanyawaad. Overwhelmed with the love showered upon me. Half a hug to everyone today.'

Sanya Malhotra congratulated her Kathal team for their big win at the 71st National Film Award. She shared, "I’m deeply honored that Kathal has been awarded the National Award for Best Hindi Film. This story has been very special to me, and I’m grateful to Guneet Monga and Achin Jain, and the entire team for trusting me with such a unique role. The film reflects important social realities with satire and heart, and I’m so glad it resonated with audiences. This recognition encourages me to continue choosing meaningful cinema. A heartfelt thank you to the jury and everyone who supported Kathal."

Interestingly, she was also part of other award winning films Jawan and Sam Bahadur.

Shah Rukh Khan's manager Pooja Dadlani took to her Instagram handle to share a post praising Shah Rukh Khan for finally receiving a National Award. She wrote, "Tooooo happy to see SRK win the National Award for Jawan… A deeply deserving honour for all that you have put into achieving this! Big hugs to Atlee for making a film that is garnering such accolades... big thank you to the fans for loving the film so much… for loving SRK so much! And… thank you God!"

After Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani's two wins at the 71st National Film Award, Ranveer Singh shared: "The real win for RRKPK is how it has grown to become people's go-to comfort film. They rewatch it again and again, as a for, of emotional regulation. Ek aisi film jo dil ka bojh halka kar deti hai. That's wholesome entertainment indeed. Feeling proud, feeling blessed, feeling grateful."

After Vaibhavi Merchant was announced as the winner of National Award for Best Choreography for the film Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani, Farah Khan shared a throwback picture with the choreographer. She worte on her Instagram stories, "Its raining national awards for all my favourite people... congratulations Vaibhavi."

After Shah Rukh Khan, Farah Khan also congratulated filmmaker Karan Johar for his National Award win for the movie Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani. Sharing a picture on her Instagram handle, Farah Khan wrote, "And a big hug to Karuu too! National Award winner."

After Kathal received the Best Hindi Film award at the 71st National Film Awards, producer Ekta Kapoor expressed her joy. She shared, “I'm thankful to the jury for this great honour. It is incredibly reaffirming to be recognised for the work we do and the stories we choose to tell. I am grateful to have found collaborators in Guneet Monga, Achin Jain, Balaji and Netflix. I share this award with my wonderful cast and crew who shaped the film in myriad ways.”

After Shah Rukh Khan won his first ever National Film Award for his performance in Jawan, his best friend Farah Khan expressed her love for him. Sharing a picture on her Instagram Stories, the filmmaker wrote, "Congratulations my dearest SRK on winning the national award! This time the shiddat se koshish really thru!"

After Karan Johar's film Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani bagged the Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment and Best Choreography awards, Alia took to her Instagram handle to pen a sweet note. She wrote, "What a moment! Love to the incredible team that made this film so magical."

Producer Ronnie Screwvala expressed his happiness as two of his production ventures won big at the 71st National Film Awards. "Winning the prestigious National Award for two of our very special films - Sam Bahadur and the Malayalam one - Ullozhukku, is indeed a matter of great pride for all of us at RSVP. We strive to make cinema that leaves an impact. While we are overwhelmed with these honours, we express our deepest gratitude to the jury and the audiences for their tremendous love and support. This only motivates us to continue creating meaningful and impactful cinema."

Actor Vikrant Massey said in a statement: "I want to thank the Honourable Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the NFDC, and all the esteemed jury members of the 71st National Film Awards for considering my performance worthy of this recognition. I also want to thank Shri Vidhu Vinod Chopra ji for giving me this opportunity. Today, if I may say so, a 20-year-old boy’s dream has come true. I am eternally grateful to the audiences for honouring my performances and for recommending this film with such love. It is a privilege to be sharing my first National Award with an icon like Shah Rukh Khan. Lastly, I dedicate this award to all the marginalised people in our society — those who are often looked through, and those who are fighting the socio-economic paradigm of our country every single day."

After Ullozhukku received the National Award for Best Malayalam Film, director Christo Tomy shared it took him eight years to make this film. In an interview with Asianet, Christo said, "While making the movie, my only wish was that people would receive it well. But now that it bagged such an award, my happiness has only increased. I express my sincere gratitude to the cast and crew, as well as my family. It took me eight years to get the movie rolling. Though the script was ready, since it needed to be headlined by two women, it wasn't easy to get financial backing. Although we finally managed to commence production, it was halted due to the Covid situation. There were times when I was genuinely concerned whether we would be able to complete it. The movie was shot at my maternal house, and for about one and a half years, my relatives there had to stay at another house. Although we faced such challenges, the fact that we got Urvashi and Parvathy Thiruvothu to play the lead characters itself helped us heave a sigh of relief, since the performance front was strong after that. Had they not been there, Ullozhukku wouldn't have been what it is."

GV Prakash expressed his excitement on receiving the National Film Award for the second time. He penned a long note: "A blessing for the second time. I am truly overwhelmed and deeply grateful to receive the 71st National Film Award for Best Music Director for the film Vaathi. My heartfelt thanks to the esteemed jury and selection committee. Thank you to the entire team of Vaathi for being part of this beautiful journey. Special thanks to my brother Dhanush, who chose me for this film. Our continuous collaboration--from Polladhavan to Asuran, Vaathi and Idly Kadai--has been creatively fulfilling and rewarding for both of us. A big thank you to my director Venky Atluri, who inspired me to give my best and trusted me with the music for this film. From Vaathi to Lucky Bhaskar, and now onto our next project--thank you, Venky, for the consistent trust and for bringing blockbuster moments into our journey. Thanks to our producers, Nagavamsi and Trivikram, for believing in me and giving me this opportunity. I am immensely grateful to my family, my incredible team of musicians, lyricists, technicians, my dear friends, and all my fans who have supported and believed in me. Thank you, Universe."

After Rani Mukerji received her first National Film Award for Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway, she dedicated the honour to mothers. "I dedicate my National Award to all the incredible mothers of this world. There is nothing like a mother’s love and her ferocity to protect her own. The story of this Indian immigrant mother who went all out for her child and took on a nation shook me deeply.. a mother's love for her child is unconditional.. I realised this when I had my own. So, this win, this film feels deeply emotional and personal. A mother can move mountains for her children and also make the world a better place. This film tried to show this."

Rani Mukerji received the Best Actress Award at the 71st National Film Awards. Talking about the win, Rani said in a statement, "I’m overwhelmed to have won the National Award for my performance in Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway. Incidentally, this is the first ever National Award in my 30 year career. As an actor, I have been fortunate to have some incredible films in my body of work and have got so much love for them. I thank the National Award jury for honouring my work in Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway. I share this moment with the entire team of the film, my producers Nikkhil Advani, Monisha and Madhu, my director Ashima Chibber, and everyone who worked on this truly special project that celebrated the resilience of motherhood. For me, this award is also a validation of my 30 year body of work, my dedication to my craft with which I feel a deeply spiritual connection and my passion for cinema and this beautiful film industry of ours.  "It also feels the apt time to again thank all my fans, from across the world, who have relentlessly supported me through thick and thin for these 30 years! Your unconditional love and support is everything that I have ever needed to stay motivated, to show up at work every day and to deliver performances that have entertained you. You’ve embraced every role, every character, every story I’ve had the good fortune to bring to life. So, without you I would be a nobody today."

After Kathal won the Best Hindi Film award at the 71st National Film Awards, producer Guneet Monga said in a statement, "Every time a story from the heart of India is honoured, it’s a win for every voice that deserves to be heard. We are incredibly honoured to receive the Best Hindi Film award for Kathal: A Jackfruit Mystery at the 71st National Film Awards. Grateful beyond words for this recognition."A heartfelt congratulations to our brilliant director Yashowardhan Mishra, and his co-writers Ashok Mishra, for crafting a story that is sharp, original, and deeply human. Huge thanks to our producing partners Ekta Kapoor and Shobha Kapoor at Balaji Telefilms.Immense gratitude for our trusted platform partner Netflix India and the incredible Monika Shergill, Ruchika Kapoor Sheikh. Shout out to Pratiksha Rao and Ankita Singh who started this journey. Kathal wouldn’t have been possible without the unconditional support of my co-producer Achin Jain and the incredible team at Sikhya Entertainment, this journey wouldn’t have been possible without your belief and support. And to Sanya Malhotra, your performance as Mahima was both powerful and full of heart. You brought Mahima to life with such nuance, warmth, and unwavering strength, dil jeet liya! Thank you for leading this story with such grace, authenticity, and quiet power." She dedicated Kathal's National Film Award win to "every storyteller who dares to look closer and tell stories that matter."

It feels surreal, 2 years on… to receive so much love for a film that we put so much love in. To have everyone across the world resonate so deeply, that they choose to call the story, the music, the characters, the dance and everything - their OWN! Karan Johar wrote a heartfelt note on Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani winning 2 National Film Awards at the 71st National Awards. "My deepest gratitude once again to the National Film Awards for having Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani receive this honour for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. And my biggest love & hugs to @vaibhavi.merchant and her team for giving us the Best Choreography for Dhindhora Baje Re! I’m a happy man today, and I will remain forever grateful for this. Fun fact - it feels magical to win the same award as you did for your first film, again."

As Shah Rukh Khan received his first National Film Award for Jawan, netizens pointed out how the jury head for the awards is none other than Ashutosh Gowariker who perhaps delivered one of the best SRK films ever, Swades. The award that year was won by Saif Ali Khan for Hum Tum.

In an earlier interview to SCREEN, Vikrant Massey had spoken about aspiring to win a National Film Award. “I’d be lying if I said I never aspired for this. I have always aspired to stand in the Rashtrapati Bhawan, being honoured by the President of our country has been my lifelong dream. But that dream is yet to realise. I love the support, the chatter that is happening online. People are rooting for me. But then having said that… I mean, it is a surreal feeling. Main kya he bol sakta hu ab!” the actor said. Vikrant was honoured with Best Actor Award for 12th Fail.

Read the complete list of winners at the 71st National Film Awards 2025 here. The jury for the awards was headed by Ashutosh Gowariker.

Karan Johar directorial Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. Reacting to the win, Karan said in a statemtnt, "I am ecstatic and overwhelmed to win the National Award for a film exceptionally close to my heart, Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. I am grateful to the jury and continue to be humbled by the enormous love the film continues to receive.

Shah Rukh Khan may have been the winner of multiple awards in India and globally but this is the first time he won a National Film Awards. Fondly called 'Badshah of Bollywood', the actor was honoured with his first ever Best Actor National Award for Jawan, which he shared with Vikrant Massey (12th Fail). 2023 saw Shah Rukh's return of sorts to Hindi cinema after a long sabbatical. The actor delivered two more films this year -- Pathaan and Dunki.

Vikrant Massey-starrer 12th Fail, directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, wins National Award for Best Feature Film.

Ashish Avinash Bende wins National Award for the Best Debut Film of a Director for his Marathi film Aatmapamplet.

Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani wins the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment.

Sam Bahadur receieves the National Award for Best Feature Film promoting National, Social and Environmental Values.

Naal 2 (Marathi) wins the National Award for Best Children's Film.

Hanuman (Telugu) by Prasanth Varma wins the National Award for Best Film in AVGC.

The Kerala Story by Sudipto Sen wins the National Award for Best Direction.

National Award for Best Actor in Leading Role is shared between Shah Rukh Khan for Jawan and Vikrant Massey for 12th Fail.

Rani Mukerji receives the National Award for Best Actress in Leading Role for her performance in Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway.

National Award for Best Actor in Supporting Role is shared between Vijayaraghavan (Poolkalam) and Muthupettai Somu Bhaskar (Parking).

National Award for Best Actress in Supporting Role is shared between Janki Bodiwala (Vash) and Urvashi (Ulazhukku).

National Award for Best Child Artist is shared between actors Gandhi Tatha Chettu (Telugu) by Sukriti Veni, Gypsy (Marathi) by Kabir Khandare, Naal 2 (Marathi) by Treesha Thasar, Shrinivas Pokaole and Bhargav.

Baby (Telugu) by PVN S Rohit receives National Award for Best Male Playback Singer.

Shilpa Rao (Jawan) wins the National Award for Best Female Playback Singer.

The Kerala Story's Prasantanu Mohapatra wins the National Award for Best Cinematography.

Sirf Ek Banda Kafi Hai (Hindi) by Deepak Kingarani wins the National Award for Best Dialogue Writer.

Best Screenplay (Shared): Parking in Tamil by Ramkumar Balakrishnan.

Baby (Telugu) by Sai Rajesh Neelam wins the National Award for Best Screenplay.

Animal (Hindi) by Sachin Sudhakaran and Hariharan Muralidaran wins the National Award for Best Sound Design.

Pookalam (Malayalam) by Midhun Murali wins the National Award for Best Editing.

2018: Everyone Is A Hero by Mohandas wins the National Award for Best Production Design.

Sam Bahadur by Sachin Lavalekar, Divuyaa Gambhri and Niddhi Gambhir receieve the National Award for Best Costume Design.

Sam Bahadur by Shrikant Desai gets National Award for Best Make Up.

Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Animal receieves the National Award for Best Music Direction for background score.

Vaathi (Tamil) by GV Prakash Kumar wins the National Award for Best Music Direction.

Balagam (Telugu) by Kasala Shyam wins the National Award for Best lyrics.

Rongatapu gets the National Award for the Best Asaamese Film.

Deep Fridge gets the National Award for the Best Bengali Film.

Vash gets the National Award for the Best Gujarati film.

Kathal: A Jackfruit gets the National Award for the Best Hindi Film.

"Dhodora Baje re" in Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani wins the National Award for Best Chroeography.

Kandeelu - The Ray of Hope by K Yashoda Prakash wins the National Award for Best Kannada Film.

Ullozhukku by Christo Tomy wins the National Award for Best Malayalam Film.