# 9th National Film Awards

The 9th National Film Awards, then known as State Awards for Films, presented by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India to felicitate the best of Indian Cinema released in 1961. The awards were announced on 5 April 1962 and were presented on 21 April at the Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi, by then Vice-President of India, Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan.

## Selection process

The Central Committee for State Awards for Films for the year was headed by politician and author R. R. Diwakar. To select films for the awards, the committee viewed "27 feature films, five children's films, seven documentaries and six educational films and a few filmstrips" between 19 March and 2 April 1962.

## Awards

Awards were divided into feature films and non-feature films.
President's Gold Medal for the All India Best Feature Film is now better known as National Film Award for Best Feature Film, whereas President's Gold Medal for the Best Documentary Film is analogous to today's National Film Award for Best Non-Feature Film. For children's films, Prime Minister's Gold Medal is now given as National Film Award for Best Children's Film. At the regional level, President's Silver Medal for Best Feature Film is now given as National Film Award for Best Feature Film in a particular language. Certificate of Merit in all the categories is discontinued over the years.

### Feature films

Feature films were awarded at All India as well as regional level. For the 9th National Film Awards, a Bengali film Bhagini Nivedita won the President's Gold Medal for the All India Best Feature Film. Following were the awards given:

#### All India Award

Following were the awards given in each category:
| Award | Film | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash Prize |
| President's Gold Medal for the All India Best Feature Film | Bhagini Nivedita | Bengali | Producer: Aurora Film Corporation | Gold Medal and ₹20,000 |
| President's Gold Medal for the All India Best Feature Film | Bhagini Nivedita | Bengali | Director: Bijoy Bose | ₹5,000 |
| All India Certificate of Merit for the Second Best Feature Film | Pava Mannippu | Tamil | Producer: Buddha Pictures | Certificate of Merit and ₹10,000 |
| All India Certificate of Merit for the Second Best Feature Film | Pava Mannippu | Tamil | Director: A. Bhimsingh | ₹2,500 |
| All India Certificate of Merit for the Third Best Feature Film | Prapanch | Marathi | Producer: Indian National Pictures | Certificate of Merit only |
| All India Certificate of Merit for the Third Best Feature Film | Prapanch | Marathi | Director: Madhukar Pathak | Certificate of Merit only |
| Prime Minister's Gold Medal for the Best Children's Film | Hattogol Vijay | Hindi | Producer: Hari S. Dasgupta Productions | Gold Medal and ₹20,000 |
| Prime Minister's Gold Medal for the Best Children's Film | Hattogol Vijay | Hindi | Director: Buju Das Gupta | ₹5,000 |
| Prime Minister's Gold Medal for the Best Children's Film | Hattogol Vijay | Hindi | Director: Raghunath Goswami | ₹5,000 |
| All India Certificate of Merit for the Second Best Children's Film | Savitri | Hindi | Producer: Children's Film Society | Certificate of Merit and ₹10,000 |
| All India Certificate of Merit for the Second Best Children's Film | Savitri | Hindi | Director: Phani Majumdar | ₹2,500 |
| All India Certificate of Merit for the Third Best Children's Film | Nanhe Munne Sitare | Hindi | Producer: Ajay Kumar Chakravarty | Certificate of Merit only |
| All India Certificate of Merit for the Third Best Children's Film | Nanhe Munne Sitare | Hindi | Director: Ajay Kumar Chakravarty | Certificate of Merit only |

#### Regional Award

The awards were given to the best films made in the regional languages of India. For 9th National Film Awards, President's Silver Medal for Best Feature Film was not given in Gujarati, Kannada and Odia language; instead Certificate of Merit was awarded in each particular language.
| Award | Film | Awardee(s) | Awardee(s) |
| Award | Film | Producer | Director |
| Feature Films in Assamese ||||
| President's Silver Medal for Best Feature Film | Shakuntala | Kamrup Chitra | Bhupen Hazarika |
| Feature Films in Bengali ||||
| President's Silver Medal for Best Feature Film | Samapti | Satyajit Ray | Satyajit Ray |
| Certificate of Merit for Second Best Feature Film | Saptapadi | Uttam Kumar | Ajoy Kar |
| Certificate of Merit for Third Best Feature Film | Punascha | Mrinal Sen | Mrinal Sen |
| Feature Films in Gujarati ||||
| Certificate of Merit for Best Feature Film | Nandanvan | Shrikumar V. Gaglani | Ganpatrao Brahmbhatt |
| Feature Films in Hindi ||||
| President's Silver Medal for Best Feature Film | Dharmputra | B. R. Chopra | Yash Chopra |
| Certificate of Merit for Second Best Feature Film | Gunga Jumna | Dilip Kumar | Nitin Bose |
| Certificate of Merit for Third Best Feature Film | Pyaar Ki Pyaas | Anupam Chitra | Mahesh Kaul |
| Feature Films in Kannada ||||
| Certificate of Merit for Best Feature Film | Kittur Chennamma | Padmini Pictures | B. R. Panthulu |
| Feature Films in Malayalam ||||
| President's Silver Medal for Best Feature Film | Mudiyanaya Puthran | Chandrathara Productions | Ramu Kariat |
| Certificate of Merit for Second Best Feature Film | Kandam Becha Kottu | Modern Theatres | T. R. Sundaram |
| Certificate of Merit for Third Best Feature Film | Sabarimala Sri Ayyappan | K. Kuppuswamy | S. M. Sriramulu Naidu |
| Feature Films in Marathi ||||
| President's Silver Medal for Best Feature Film | Manini | Kala Chitra | Anant Mane |
| Certificate of Merit for Second Best Feature Film | Vaijayanta | Rekha Films | Gajanan Jagirdar |
| Certificate of Merit for Third Best Feature Film | Manasala Pankh Astat | Madhav Shinde | Madhav Shinde |
| Feature Films in Odia ||||
| Certificate of Merit for Best Feature Film | Nua Bou | Ram Krishna Tripathy | Prabhat Mukherjee |
| Feature Films in Tamil ||||
| President's Silver Medal for Best Feature Film | Kappalottiya Thamizhan | Padmini Pictures | B. R. Panthulu |
| Certificate of Merit for Second Best Feature Film | Pasamalar | Rajamani Pictures | A. Bhimsingh |
| Certificate of Merit for Third Best Feature Film | Kumudham | Modern Theatres | Adurthi Subba Rao |
| Feature Films in Telugu ||||
| President's Silver Medal for Best Feature Film | Bharya Bharthalu | Prasad Art Pictures Pvt Ltd. | K. Pratyagatma |

### Non-Feature films

Non-feature film awards were given for the documentaries and educational films made in the country. Following were the awards given:

#### Documentaries

| Award | Film | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash Prize |
| President's Gold Medal for the Best Documentary Film | Rabindranath Tagore (Longer Version) | English | Producer: Films Division | Gold Medal and ₹4,000 |
| President's Gold Medal for the Best Documentary Film | Rabindranath Tagore (Longer Version) | English | Director: Satyajit Ray | ₹1,000 |
| All India Certificate of Merit for the Second Best Documentary Film | Our Feathered Friends | English | Producer: Films Division | Certificate of Merit and ₹2,000 |
| All India Certificate of Merit for the Second Best Documentary Film | Our Feathered Friends | English | Director: Gopal Datt | ₹500 |
| All India Certificate of Merit for the Third Best Documentary Film | Romance of the Indian Coin | English | Producer: Films Division | Certificate of Merit only |
| All India Certificate of Merit for the Third Best Documentary Film | Romance of the Indian Coin | English | Director: G. H. Saraiya | Certificate of Merit only |

#### Educational films

| Award | Film | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash Prize |
| Prime Minister's Gold Medal for the Best Educational Film | Citrus Cultivation | English | Producer: Films Division | Gold Medal and ₹4,000 |
| Prime Minister's Gold Medal for the Best Educational Film | Citrus Cultivation | English | Director: Krishna Kapil | ₹1,000 |
| All India Certificate of Merit for the Second Best Educational Film | Coir Worker | English | Producer: F. R. Bilimoria | Certificate of Merit only |
| All India Certificate of Merit for the Second Best Educational Film | Coir Worker | English | Director: F. R. Bilimoria | Certificate of Merit only |
| All India Certificate of Merit for the Third Best Educational Film | Ahvan | Hindi | Producer: Dhruva Kumar Pandya | Certificate of Merit only |
| All India Certificate of Merit for the Third Best Educational Film | Ahvan | Hindi | Director: Dhruva Kumar Pandya | Certificate of Merit only |

### Awards not given

Following were the awards not given as no film was found to be suitable for the award:
* President's Silver Medal for Best Feature Film in Kannada
* President's Silver Medal for Best Feature Film in Oriya