The National Film Awards are among the most recognised honours in Indian cinema. The 72nd edition will be presented today, September 22, in Ekta Nagar, Kevadia, Gujarat, with President Droupadi Murmu conferring the awards.
This year’s ceremony marks the first time the National Film Awards are being held outside Delhi. As the awards enter their 72nd edition, here is a look at how the ceremony began, why it was introduced and how it evolved over the decades.
When did the National Film Awards begin?
The National Film Awards were instituted in 1954 and initially recognised films released in 1953. At the time, Dr Rajendra Prasad was the President of India, while B V Keskar served as the Minister of Information and Broadcasting.
The awards were not initially called the National Film Awards. They were introduced as the State Awards for Films.
The idea came after the Government of India constituted the Film Inquiry Committee in 1949. The committee examined the condition of the Indian film industry, including the quality of films and their social and cultural impact. Its recommendations eventually led to the introduction of government-backed awards for Indian cinema.
Why were the awards introduced?
The initial objective was to encourage films that demonstrated quality in storytelling, artistic expression and technical execution. The government also wanted to recognise cinema that reflected Indian society and culture.
As the awards evolved, the focus expanded to films that represented the country’s diverse cultures, traditions and ways of life. This was particularly significant in a film industry where movies were being made in several languages.
From the beginning, the awards were therefore not restricted to Hindi cinema. Films in Bengali, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Assamese and several other Indian languages were recognised over the years.
Where was the first National Film Awards ceremony held?
The first National Film Awards ceremony was held on October 10, 1954, at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi.
The Marathi film Shyamchi Aai won the Gold Medal for Best Feature Film at the inaugural ceremony. The award recognised the film as the best feature released during the period covered by the first awards.
The documentary Mahabalipuram won the award for Best Documentary Film. Hindi film Do Bigha Zamin and Bengali film Bhagwan Shri Krishna Chaitanya received All India Certificates of Merit.
The All India Certificate of Merit for Best Children’s Film went to Khela Ghar. The documentary films Holy Himalayas and Tree of Wealth also received Certificates of Merit.
When were acting awards introduced?
Individual acting awards were not part of the first National Film Awards. Separate awards for artistes and technicians were introduced in 1967, with the honours being presented in 1968.
Uttam Kumar became the first recipient of the Best Actor honour for his performances in the Bengali films Antony Firingee and Chiriakhana.
Nargis Dutt became the first recipient of the Best Actress honour for Raat Aur Din.
At the time, the acting awards had different names. The Best Actor honour was known as the Bharat Award, while the Best Actress honour was called the Urvashi Award. These names were later replaced by the titles Best Actor and Best Actress.
How did the National Film Awards evolve?
Another major milestone came in 1969, when the Dadasaheb Phalke Award was introduced to honour outstanding contributions to Indian cinema. Actress Devika Rani was the first recipient. From 1973, the Directorate of Film Festivals took over the administration of the National Film Awards. The organisation remained associated with the awards for decades before the government restructured the system.
In 2022, the Directorate of Film Festivals was merged with the National Film Development Corporation as part of a government restructuring exercise.
Over the years, the National Film Awards have also expanded to recognise a wider range of filmmaking departments, including cinematography, editing, music, playback singing, screenplay, costumes, make-up, sound, choreography, action and visual effects.
National Film Awards today
The awards have grown from the original State Awards for Films into a national platform covering India’s diverse film industries. The 72nd National Film Awards will be presented today in Gujarat, marking another change in the history of the ceremony as the event moves outside Delhi for the first time.
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