National Film Award for Best Actress - wikipedia National Film Award for Best Actress National Film Award for Best Actress Awarded by Directorate of Film Festivals Type National Indian Cinema Description Description Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role Medal Rajat Kamal ( Silver Lotus ) Statistics Instituted 1953 First awarded 1967 Last awarded 2016 Total awarded 52 Cash award ₹ 50,000 ( US $780 ) Previous name ( s ) Urvashi Award ( 1967 -- 73 ) First awardee ( s ) Nargis Dutt Recent awardee ( s ) Surabhi Lakshmi The National Film Award for Best Actress ( officially known as the Rajat Kamal Award for the Best Actress ) is an honour presented annually at the National Film Awards of India since 1968 to an actress for the best performance in a leading role within the Indian film industry. The National Film Awards were called the `` State Awards for Films '' when established in 1954. The State Awards instituted the `` Best Actress '' category in 1968 as the `` Urvashi Award for the Best Actress '' ; in 1975, the `` Urvashi Award '' was renamed as the `` Rajat Kamal Award for the Best Actress ''. Throughout the years, accounting for ties and repeat winners, the Government of India has presented a total of 52 Best Actress awards to 41 different actresses. Until 1974, winners of the National Film Award received a figurine and certificate ; since 1975, they have been awarded with a `` Rajat Kamal '' ( silver lotus ), certificate and a cash prize that amounted to ₹ 50,000 ( US $780 ) in 2012. Although the Indian film industry produces films in more than 20 languages and dialects, the actresses whose performances have won awards have worked in ten major languages : Assamese, Bengali, English, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu. The first recipient was Nargis Dutt from Bollywood, who was honoured at the 15th National Film Award ( 1968 ) for her performance in Raat Aur Din. The actress who won the most number of Rajat Kamal awards is Shabana Azmi with five wins, followed by Sharada with three. As of 2016, five actresses -- Smita Patil, Archana, Shobana, Tabu, and Kangana Ranaut -- have won the award two times. Sharada, Archana and Shobana are the only three actresses to get the award for performing in two different languages. Sharada was bestowed with the awards for her performances in two Malayalam films : Thulabharam and Swayamvaram in 1970 and 1973 respectively, and in 1979 for the Telugu film Nimajjanam. Archana was first honoured in 1988 for the Tamil film Veedu and was awarded for the second time in 1989 for the Telugu film Daasi. Shobana received her first award for the Malayalam film Manichitrathazhu in 1994, and her second for the English film Mitr, My Friend in 2002. As of 2016, the late Monisha Unni remains the youngest recipient of the honour ; she was awarded for the Malayalam film Nakhakshathangal in 1987 when she was 16. Indrani Haldar and Rituparna Sengupta are the only two actresses to be honoured for the same film. The most recent recipient is Surabhi Lakshmi, who was honoured at the 64th National Film Awards ceremony for her performance in the 2016 Malayalam film Minnaminugu - the Firefly. Contents 1 Key 2 Recipients 3 See also 4 Notes 5 References 6 External links Key Symbol Meaning Indicates a joint award for that year Recipients Shabana Azmi has been the most frequent winner with five awards. Shobana ( top ), Tabu ( middle ) and Kangana Ranaut ( bottom ) are among the actresses who have been honored twice. List of award recipients, showing the year, role ( s ), film ( s ) and language ( s ) Year Recipient ( s ) Role ( s ) Work ( s ) Language ( s ) Refs. 1967 ( 15th ) Nargis Dutt Varuna / Peggy Raat Aur Din Hindi 1968 ( 16th ) Sharada Vijaya Thulabharam Malayalam 1969 ( 17th ) Madhabi Mukherjee Supriya Dibratrir Kabya Bengali 1970 ( 18th ) Rehana Sultan Salma Ahmed Dastak Hindi 1971 ( 19th ) Waheeda Rehman Reshma Reshma Aur Shera Hindi 1972 ( 20th ) Sharada Sita Swayamvaram Malayalam 1973 ( 21st ) Nandini Bhaktavatsala Kamali Kaadu Kannada ( 22nd ) Shabana Azmi Laxmi Ankur Hindi ( 23rd ) Sharmila Tagore Chanda Kajli Mausam Hindi 1976 ( 24th ) Lakshmi Ganga Sila Nerangalil Sila Manithargal Tamil 1977 ( 25th ) Smita Patil Usha Bhumika Hindi 1978 ( 26th ) Sharada Bharathi Nimajjanam Telugu 1979 ( 27th ) Shoba Kuppamma Pasi Tamil 1980 ( 28th ) Smita Patil Amma Chakra Hindi 1981 ( 29th ) Rekha Amiran ( Umrao Jaan ) Umrao Jaan Urdu 1982 ( 30th ) Shabana Azmi Pooja Inder Malhotra Arth Hindi ( 31st ) Shabana Azmi Jamini Khandhar Hindi 1984 ( 32nd ) Shabana Azmi Rama Paar Hindi 1985 ( 33rd ) Suhasini Sindhu Sindhu Bhairavi Tamil 1986 ( 34th ) Monisha Unni Gouri Nakhakshathangal Malayalam ( 35th ) Archana Sudha Veedu Tamil 1988 ( 36th ) Archana Kamalakshi Daasi Telugu 1989 ( 37th ) Sreelekha Mukherji Lakkhi Parshuramer Kuthar Bengali 1990 ( 38th ) Vijayashanti Vyjayanthi Karthavyam Telugu 1991 ( 39th ) Moloya Goswami Ritu Firingoti Assamese 1992 ( 40th ) Dimple Kapadia Shanichari Rudaali Hindi 1993 ( 41st ) Shobana Ganga Nakulan Manichitrathazhu Malayalam 1994 ( 42nd ) Debashree Roy Aditi Unishe April Bengali 1995 ( 43rd ) Seema Biswas Phoolan Devi Bandit Queen Hindi ( 44th ) Tabu Virender Kaur Maachis Hindi 1997 ( 45th ) Indrani Haldar Jhinuk Dahan Bengali 1997 ( 45th ) Rituparna Sengupta Romita Chaudhury Dahan Bengali 1998 ( 46th ) Shabana Azmi Rambhi Godmother Hindi 1999 ( 47th ) Kirron Kher Banalata Bariwali Bengali 2000 ( 48th ) Raveena Tandon Durga Daman : A Victim of Marital Violence Hindi 2001 ( 49th ) Tabu Mumtaz Chandni Bar Hindi 2001 ( 49th ) Shobana Lakshmi Mitr, My Friend English 2002 ( 50th ) Konkona Sen Sharma Meenakshi S. Iyer Mr. and Mrs. Iyer English 2003 ( 51st ) Meera Jasmine Shahina Paadam Onnu : Oru Vilapam Malayalam ( 52nd ) Tara Hasina Hasina Kannada 2005 ( 53rd ) Sarika Shernaz Parzania English 2006 ( 54th ) Priyamani Muththazhagu Paruthiveeran Tamil 2007 ( 55th ) Umashree Gulabi Gulabi Talkies Kannada 2008 ( 56th ) Priyanka Chopra Meghna Mathur Fashion Hindi 2009 ( 57th ) Ananya Chatterjee Shikha Abohoman Bengali ( 58th ) Mitalee Jagtap Varadkar Shirmi Baboo Band Baaja Marathi ( 58th ) Saranya Ponvannan Veerayi Thenmerku Paruvakaatru Tamil 2011 ( 59th ) Vidya Balan Reshma ( Silk ) The Dirty Picture Hindi 2012 ( 60th ) Usha Jadhav Yashoda Dhag Marathi 2013 ( 61st ) Geetanjali Thapa Kamala Liar 's Dice Hindi 2014 ( 62nd ) Kangana Ranaut Rani Mehra Queen Hindi 2015 ( 63rd ) Kangana Ranaut Tanuja `` Tanu '' Trivedi, Kusum `` Datto '' Sangwan Tanu Weds Manu Returns Hindi 2016 ( 64th ) Surabhi Lakshmi -- Minnaminungu -- the Firefly Malayalam See also Bollywood portal Film portal List of Indian film actresses Notes Jump up ^ Denotes The year in which the film was censored by the Central Board of Film Certification. 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External links Official Page for Directorate of Film Festivals, India National Film Awards Archives National Film Award for Best Actress 1967 -- 1980 Nargis ( 1967 ) Sharada ( 1968 ) Madhabi Mukherjee ( 1969 ) Rehana Sultan ( 1970 ) Waheeda Rehman ( 1971 ) Sharada ( 1972 ) Nandini Bhaktavatsala ( 1973 ) Shabana Azmi ( 1974 ) Sharmila Tagore ( 1975 ) Lakshmi ( 1976 ) Smita Patil ( 1977 ) Sharada ( 1978 ) Shoba ( 1979 ) Smita Patil ( 1980 ) 1981 -- 2000 Rekha ( 1981 ) Shabana Azmi ( 1982 ) Shabana Azmi ( 1983 ) Shabana Azmi ( 1984 ) Suhasini ( 1985 ) Monisha ( 1986 ) Archana ( 1987 ) Archana ( 1988 ) Sreelekha Mukherji ( 1989 ) Vijayashanti ( 1990 ) Moloya Goswami ( 1991 ) Dimple Kapadia ( 1992 ) Shobana ( 1993 ) Debashree Roy ( 1994 ) Seema Biswas ( 1995 ) Tabu ( 1996 ) Indrani Haldar and Rituparna Sengupta ( 1997 ) Shabana Azmi ( 1998 ) Kirron Kher ( 1999 ) Raveena Tandon ( 2000 ) 2001 -- present Shobana and Tabu ( 2001 ) Konkona Sen Sharma ( 2002 ) Meera Jasmine ( 2003 ) Tara ( 2004 ) Sarika ( 2005 ) Priyamani ( 2006 ) Umashree ( 2007 ) Priyanka Chopra ( 2008 ) Ananya Chatterjee ( 2009 ) Mitalee Jagtap Varadkar and Saranya Ponvannan ( 2010 ) Vidya Balan ( 2011 ) Usha Jadhav ( 2012 ) Geetanjali Thapa ( 2013 ) Kangana Ranaut ( 2014 ) Kangana Ranaut ( 2015 ) Surabhi Lakshmi ( 2016 ) National Film Awards Directorate of Film Festivals Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Cinema of India Special Award Dadasaheb Phalke Award Feature Films Golden Lotus Awards Best Feature Film Best Director Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment Best Children 's Film Best First Film of a Director Best Animated Film Silver Lotus Awards Best Actor Best Actress Best Supporting Actor Best Supporting Actress Best Child Artist Best Music Direction Best Male Playback Singer Best Female Playback Singer Best Lyrics Best Production Design Best Audiography Best Choreography Best Cinematography Best Costume Design Best Editing Best Make - up Best Screenplay Best Special Effects Best Film on Environment Conservation / Preservation Best Film on Family Welfare Best Film on National Integration Best Film on Other Social Issues Special Jury Award / Special Mention Silver Lotus Awards ( Regional ) Assamese Bodo Bengali English Dogri Gujarati Hindi Kannada Kashmiri Konkani Maithili Malayalam Manipuri Marathi Odia Punjabi Sanskrit Tamil Telugu Urdu Bhojpuri Khasi Kodava Kokborok Mishing Mizo Monpa Rabha Sherdukpen Tulu Wancho Discontinued Awards Second Best Feature Film Third Best Feature Film Best Story Non-Feature Films Golden Lotus Awards Best Non-Feature Film Best Director Silver Lotus Awards Best First Film of a Director Best Audiography Best Cinematography Best Editing Best Music Direction Best Narration / Voice Over Best Agriculture Film Best Animation Film Best Anthropological / Ethnographic Film Best Arts / Cultural Film Best Biographical Film Best Educational / Motivational / Instructional Film Best Environment / Conservation / Preservation Film Best Exploration / Adventure Film Best Film on Family Welfare Best Historical Reconstruction / Compilation Film Best Investigative Film Best Promotional Film Best Scientific Film Best Short Fiction Film Best Film on Social Issues Special Jury Award / Special Mention Discontinued Awards Best Experimental Film Best Filmstrip Best Industrial Film Best News Review Best Newsreel Cameraman Writing on Cinema Golden Lotus Awards Best Book on Cinema Best Film Critic Special Awards Special Jury Award / Special Mention ( Book on Cinema ) Special Jury Award / Special Mention ( Film Critic ) Awards by year 1953 -- 1960 1953 ( 1st ) 1954 ( 2nd ) 1955 ( 3rd ) 1956 ( 4th ) 1957 ( 5th ) 1958 ( 6th ) 1959 ( 7th ) 1960 ( 8th ) 1961 -- 1980 1961 ( 9th ) 1962 ( 10th ) 1963 ( 11th ) 1964 ( 12th ) 1965 ( 13th ) 1966 ( 14th ) 1967 ( 15th ) 1968 ( 16th ) 1969 ( 17th ) 1970 ( 18th ) 1971 ( 19th ) 1972 ( 20th ) 1973 ( 21st ) 1974 ( 22nd ) 1975 ( 23rd ) 1976 ( 24th ) 1977 ( 25th ) 1978 ( 26th ) 1979 ( 27th ) 1980 ( 28th ) 1981 -- 2000 1981 ( 29th ) 1982 ( 30th ) 1983 ( 31st ) 1984 ( 32nd ) 1985 ( 33rd ) 1986 ( 34th ) 1987 ( 35th ) 1988 ( 36th ) 1989 ( 37th ) 1990 ( 38th ) 1991 ( 39th ) 1992 ( 40th ) 1993 ( 41st ) 1994 ( 42nd ) 1995 ( 43rd ) 1996 ( 44th ) 1997 ( 45th ) 1998 ( 46th ) 1999 ( 47th ) 2000 ( 48th ) 2001 -- present 2001 ( 49th ) 2002 ( 50th ) 2003 ( 51st ) 2004 ( 52nd ) 2005 ( 53rd ) 2006 ( 54th ) 2007 ( 55th ) 2008 ( 56th ) 2009 ( 57th ) 2010 ( 58th ) 2011 ( 59th ) 2012 ( 60th ) 2013 ( 61st ) 2014 ( 62nd ) 2015 ( 63rd ) 2016 ( 64th ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=National_Film_Award_for_Best_Actress&oldid=807984164 '' Categories : Film awards for lead actress National Film Awards ( India ) Hidden categories : Use dmy dates from November 2012 Featured lists Talk Contents About Wikipedia বাংলা Deutsch Français हिन्दी മലയാളം Русский தமிழ் తెలుగు Edit links This page was last edited on 31 October 2017, at 05 : 10. 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Question: most number of national awards for best actress
Answer: Shabana Azmi