At the 71st National Film Awards, which was held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, Shah Rukh Khan and Vikrant Massey were seen to be jointly winning the award of Best Actor. Khan was venerated for Jawan, a high-octane action film directed by Atlee that ameliorated social issues such as those of unemployment and farmer suicides, grossing over ₹1,000 crore worldwide. Massey received the accolade for 12th Fail, directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, a modestly budgeted ₹20 crore film inspired by IPS officer Manoj Kumar Sharma, which became a sleeper hit, collecting nearly a staggering amount of ₹70 crore. Both of the actors were seen to be celebrating their first National Awards, marking a career milestone, as ANI reported.
Rani Mukerji’s acclaimed performance
Rani Mukerji, for her role in Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway, which was directed by Ashima Chibber, won Best Actress. The plot of the film drew from the real-life custody battle of Indian immigrants, namely Sagarika Chakraborty and Anurup Bhattacharya. Mukerji’s very fine-grained portrayal of a mother for her children’s rights was widely praised for emotional depth and resilience, earning her first National Award in acting.
Honoring cinematic legends
Malayalam superstar Mohanlal, for his contribution of matchless nature to Indian cinema over four decades, got the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. The 71st edition highlighted the variegation of Indian filmmaking, showcasing blockbusters that have been very successful, such as those of Jawan, content-driven films, inter alia 12th Fail, and socially sonorous dramas such as those of Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway. The awards illuminated a balance between scale, substance, and storytelling, which reflects the transmuting topography of Bollywood.