68th National Film Awards - Suriya, Ajay Devgn jointly receive 'Best Actor Award'

On September 30, the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, conferred 'National Film Awards' for the year 2020 under various categories at the 68th edition of the ceremony in New Delhi. The prestigious 'Dada Saheb Phalke Award' was also conferred on the occasion. At the event, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting (I&B), Anurag Singh Thakur, Union Minister of State for I&B Dr L Murugan, Secretary, Ministry of I&B, Apurva Chandra, Chairpersons of Jury and other dignitaries were present.

Speaking on the occasion, the President congratulated 'Dadasaheb Phalke' awardee Asha Parekh for her special contribution to the world of cinema and said that this award to her is a recognition of women's empowerment.

Films have the widest impact among all the art forms, the President remarked and added that films are not just an industry but also a medium for the artistic expression of our value system. Cinema is an effective tool for nation-building as well.

Murmu further said that as the nation celebrates 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav', feature and non-feature films related to the life stories of freedom fighters, known and unknown, will be welcomed by the Indian audience. The audience desires the production of such films that bolster unity in society, accelerate the pace of development of the nation and strengthen the efforts of environmental protection.

Murmu said we must enhance the quality of our movies. "Now in our country, movies made in one region are becoming very popular in all other regions as well. In this way, Indian cinema is tying all the countrymen in a cultural thread. This film community has a huge contribution to Indian society," she added.

Speaking on the occasion, Anurag Thakur said that he holds a strong belief that cinema is poetry in pictures, mirroring the magic, marvel and madness of all that, which makes us feel alive and human.

"Cinema has captured and carved the conscience, community and culture of our country. Debutants, professionals and legends from the Indian film industry have tickled and touched our hearts and minds for over a century," he added.

Thakur commended the state government of Madhya Pradesh for winning the 'Most Film Friendly State Award' for the second time in five years. He invited the award winners to guide the future creators of movie magic by being selected through 75 'Creative Minds of Tomorrow' and said that their support of this unique initiative of motivating and mentoring youngsters will shape the next generation of award winners.

India is a country of linguistic diversity and there is no better display of this diversity than the 'National Film Awards'. Speaking of the talented winners from all over the country, the minister said that yet again the awards have brought out the regional strength of the country and reminded us how Indian cinema is brimming and blossoming with brilliance and talent. Films like 'Kachichinithu' in Karbi, 'Testimony of Ana' in Dangi and 'Semkhor' in Dimasa are extraordinary displays of our linguistic wealth.

Thakur expressed his immense happiness for four child actors getting the 'Best Child Artist Award' and also made a special mention of Divyesh Indulkar, a 'divyang' boy and one of the awardees. Expressing his delight that the 'Best Female Playback Singer' awardee, Nanjiyamma was a folk singer, Thakur said she hails from a small tribal community in Kerala with no professional film background and this shows the power of our storytelling and talent.

While 'Testimony of Ana' was conferred the award for 'Best Non-Feature Film' during the ceremony, 'Soorarai Pottru' was awarded the 'Best Feature Film'. Suriya and Ajay Devgn jointly received the 'Best Actor Award', while Aparrna Balamurali was conferred the award for 'Best Actress'. While Sachidanandan KR was given the 'Best Director' award for the Malayalam movie 'AK Ayyappanum Koshiyum', 'Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior' received the award for 'Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment'.