National Film Awards: Ajay Devgn, Suriya share Best Actor award
The coveted 68th National Film Awards were announced on Friday (July 22). The annual awards celebrate the best of Indian cinema across industries and are considered one of the highest honors in cinematic excellence. The Awards were first established in 1954, and this year, movies released in 2020 have been considered for the accolades. Check out all the major winners.
'Soorarai Pottru' won big
As expected, Suriya's Soorarai Pottru scored an edge over all other competitors to emerge victorious in the prestigious Beat Feature Film category. The Sudha Kongara film also starred Aparna Balamurali and Mohan Babu in prominent roles. Moreover, Toolsidas Junior was felicitated with the Best Hindi Film Award. Notably, 300 feature films and 150 non-feature films were submitted for consideration across 50 categories.
Suriya, Ajay Devn jointly picked up Best Actor award
Coming to another important category, the Best Actor award was shared between Tamil superstar Suriya for Soorarai Pottru and Ajay Devgn for his historical period-drama Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior. Aparna Balamurai, who received national acclaim for her role as Bommi in Soorarai Pottru, took home the Best Actress award. The Suriya-led venture continued its domination streak by also clinching the Best Screenplay award.
Vishal Bhardwaj took home Best Non-Feature Music Director award
The non-feature film awards were also announced on Friday. The Best Voiceover award was given to Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan for Rhapsody of Rains—Monsoons of Kerala and the Best Music Director award was conferred upon Vishal Bhardwaj for 1232 Kilometers Marenge to Wahin Jaakar. Meanwhile, the Best Editing award went to Anadi Athaley for Borderlands and Testimony of Ana became the Best Non-Feature Film.
Other noteworthy accolades and mentions
Devgn's Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior also won the award for Best Costume design as well as the award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. Moreover, child artist Varun Buddhadev received a special jury mention for his breakthrough role in sports drama Toolsidas Junior. Manoj Muntashir bagged the Best Lyricist award for Saina, while late Sachidanandan KR was adjudged Best Director for Ayyappanum Koshiyum.
Jury members
This year, the jury comprised 10 eminent personalities from different film fraternities across the country. The members included directors Vipul Shah, VN Aditya, Viji Thampi, cinematographers Dharam Gulati and GS Bhaskar, composer Karthik Raja, and actors Sreelekha Mukherji, Nishigandha Wad, S Thangadurai, and Sanjeev Rattan.
