# 37th National Film Awards

The 37th National Film Awards were presented by Directorate of Film Festivals, an organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India to felicitate the best of Indian Cinema released in the year 1989. Ceremony took place in May 1990 and awards were presented by then President of India, R. Venkataraman.
Starting with 37th National Film Awards, a new award in the feature films section was introduced for Environment Conservation/Preservation as National Film Award for Best Film on Environment Conservation/Preservation and awarded with Rajat Kamal (Silver Lotus) for producer and director of the film. Another new award was introduced for National Film Award for Best First Non-Feature Film of a Director, but not given for 37th National Film Awards.
Also, National Film Award for Best Book on Cinema has been promoted to Swarna Kamal (Golden Lotus) Award.

## Awards

Awards were divided into feature films, non-feature films and books written on Indian cinema.

### Lifetime Achievement Award

| Name of Award | Image | Awardee(s) | Awarded As | Awards |
| Dadasaheb Phalke Award | | Lata Mangeshkar | Playback singer | Swarna Kamal, ₹ 100,000 and a Shawl |

### Feature films

Feature films were awarded at All India as well as regional level. For 37th National Film Awards, a Bengali film, Bagh Bahadur won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film whereas two Malayalam films, Mathilukal and Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha won the maximum number of awards (4). Following were the awards given in each category:

#### Juries

A committee headed by Atma Ram was appointed to evaluate the feature films awards. Following were the jury members:
* Jury Members
** Atma Ram (Chairperson) • Basu Bhattacharya • Iqbal Masood • K. G. George • Sitakant Misra • Mahendran • A. Pundarikakshayya • Kundan Shah • Aribam Syam Sharma • Dilip Kumar Hazarika • Bhim Sen • R. Lakshman • Valampuri Somanathan • Saikat Bhattacharya • Sreekumaran Thampi • D. V. Narasa Raju

#### All India Award

Following were the awards given:

##### Golden Lotus Award

Official Name: Swarna Kamal
All the awardees are awarded with 'Golden Lotus Award (Swarna Kamal)', a certificate and cash prize.
| Name of Award | Name of Film | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash Prize |
| Best Feature Film | Bagh Bahadur | Bengali | Producer: Buddhadeb Dasgupta | ₹ 50,000/- |
| Best Feature Film | Bagh Bahadur | Bengali | director: Buddhadeb Dasgupta | ₹ 25,000/- |
| Citation: For its portrayal of the steady destruction of rural folk traditions at the hands of a cheap and showy urban culture in the form a cinematically vibrant and heroic classical tragedy. ||||
| Best Debut Film of a Director | Wosobipo | Karbi | Producer: Karbi Anglong District Council Director: Gautam Bora | ₹ 25,000/- Each |
| Citation: For its fresh and original evocation of the collective unconscious of a hill tribe whose way of life has been disintegrating over the last four decades, as seen through the eyes of a boy growing up into the responsibilities of manhood. ||||
| Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment | Chandni | Hindi | Producer: Yash Raj Films | ₹ 40,000/- |
| Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment | Chandni | Hindi | Director: Yash Chopra | ₹ 20,000/- |
| Citation: For providing clean and romantic entertainment illuminated with smooth performances and fresh lyrics in folk form. ||||
| Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment | Geethanjali | Telugu | Producer: M/s Bhagyalakshmi Enterprises | ₹ 40,000/- |
| Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment | Geethanjali | Telugu | Director: Mani Ratnam | ₹ 20,000/- |
| Citation: For its innovative approach in depicting youthful passion. ||||
| Best Children's Film | Ankur Maina Aur Kabootar | Hindi | Producer: Children's Film Society | ₹ 30,000/- |
| Best Children's Film | Ankur Maina Aur Kabootar | Hindi | Director: Madan Bawaria | ₹ 15,000/- |
| Citation: For its involvement of children in the fight for preservation of wildlife in the exotically shot isle of Mauritius. ||||
| Best Children's Film | Jamboo Savari | Kannada | Producer: K. S. L. Swame (Lalitha Ravee) | ₹ 30,000/- |
| Best Children's Film | Jamboo Savari | Kannada | Director: K. S. L. Swame (Lalitha Ravee) | ₹ 15,000/- |
| Citation: For the way in which it establishes the conflict between a child's instinctive love for a wild animal and the reality of man-animal relationships in the modern world, along with the resolution of that conflict. ||||
| Best Direction | Mathilukal | Malayalam | Adoor Gopalakrishnan | ₹ 50,000/- |
| Citation: For successfully capturing the spirit of the short story on his prison days by the celebrated writer Vaikkom Mohammed Basheer. ||||

##### Silver Lotus Award

Official Name: Rajat Kamal
All the awardees are awarded with 'Silver Lotus Award (Rajat Kamal)', a certificate and cash prize.
| Name of Award | Name of Film | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash Prize |
| Second Best Feature Film | Parshuramer Kuthar | Bengali | Producer: Dhurjati Prasad Mukherji | ₹30,000/- |
| Second Best Feature Film | Parshuramer Kuthar | Bengali | Director: Nabyendu Chatterjee | ₹15,000/- |
| Citation: For the moving fashion in which it elaborates the political and social hypocrisy of a town's middle class and its exploitation of a woman who is both the object of desire and the prey. ||||
| Best Feature Film on National Integration | Santha Shishunala Sharifa | Kannada | Producer: M/s Yajaman Enterprises | ₹ 30,000/- |
| Best Feature Film on National Integration | Santha Shishunala Sharifa | Kannada | Director: T. S. Nagabharana | ₹ 15,000/- |
| Citation: For its depiction of unity of religions at the popular mystical level illustrated by the life and lyrics of a famous Muslim saint who has a Hindu guru. ||||
| Best Film on Family Welfare | Sandhya Raagam | Tamil | Producer: Balu Mahendra (A Doordarshan production) | ₹ 30,000/- |
| Best Film on Family Welfare | Sandhya Raagam | Tamil | Director: Balu Mahendra | ₹ 15,000/- |
| Citation: For the humanity with which it traces a character coming to terms with the problem of old age through suffering, resolution and understanding. ||||
| Best Film on Other Social Issues | Unnikuttant Joli Kitty | Malayalam | Producer: V. R. Gopinath | ₹ 30,000/- |
| Best Film on Other Social Issues | Unnikuttant Joli Kitty | Malayalam | Director: V. R. Gopinath | ₹ 15,000/- |
| Citation: For its bleak narration of an unemployed youth becoming an unemployable due to callous social attitudes. ||||
| Best Film on Environment Conservation / Preservation | Bonani | Assamese | Producer: M/s Purbanchal Film Co-operative Society Ltd. | ₹ 30,000/- |
| Best Film on Environment Conservation / Preservation | Bonani | Assamese | Director: Jahnu Barua | ₹ 15,000/- |
| Citation: For its delicate and nuanced description of a forest official's struggle against mercenary and bureaucratic despoilation of forests. ||||
| Best Actor | • Mathilukal • Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha | Malayalam | Mammootty | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For successfully portraying the multifaceted roles. ||||
| Best Actress | Parshuramer Kuthar | Bengali | Sreelekha Mukherji | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For bringing out the agony and pain of a helpless woman forced by society to live an ignoble life. ||||
| Best Supporting Actor | Parinda | Hindi | Nana Patekar | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For his unique portrayal of a psychotic character. ||||
| Best Supporting Actress | Pudhea Paadhai | Tamil | Manorama | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For the versatility shown. ||||
| Best Child Artist | Kalat Nakalat | Marathi | Mrinmayee Chandorkar | ₹ 5,000/- |
| Citation: For her innocent and spontaneous portrayal. ||||
| Best Male Playback Singer | Chhandaneer | Bengali | Ajoy Chakrabarty | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For bringing the rare depth of emotion, adomed by his command on the classical idiom. ||||
| Best Female Playback Singer | Kalat Nakalat ("Hey Ek Reshami Gharate") | Marathi | Anuradha Paudwal | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For her clear and mellifluous rendering of the song. ||||
| Best Cinematography | Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro | Hindi | Camera operator: Virendra Saini Laboratory processing: M/s Ad-labs | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For the high technical skills shown in evoking the special ethos of the film. ||||
| Best Screenplay | Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha | Malayalam | M. T. Vasudevan Nair | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For the gripping plot, clearly etched characterisations and the brilliant portrayal of life in Kerala a few hundred years ago. ||||
| Best Audiography | Mathilukal | Malayalam | Harikumar | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For perfection noticeable throughout the in creatively helping the director to capture the mood and sustain interest within the enclosed walls of a jail. ||||
| Best Editing | Parinda | Hindi | Renu Saluja | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For her brisk and precise cutting and the creative heights to which she has taken the film with her intelligent and intuitive knowledge of her art. ||||
| Best Art Direction | Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha | Malayalam | P. Krishnamoorthy | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For adding to the aesthetic value of the film as a whole by carefully recreating the essence of the reality of a bygone era in Kerala with minute attention to details of pros and decor. ||||
| Best Costume Design | Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha | Malayalam | P. Krishnamoorthy | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For his intimate knowledge, artistic competence and the brilliant execution of the costumes of a bygone era, recreating the reality of life in the past as few films have done. ||||
| Best Music Direction | Wosobipo | Karbi | Sher Chowdhary | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For depicting life in interior Assam with a unique background score. ||||
| Best Lyrics | Chhandaneer | Bengali | Satarupa Sanyal | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For rare poetic heights reached in all the lyrics for the film. ||||
| Special Jury Award | Kaal Abhirati | Bengali | Amitabh Chakraborty | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For having had the courage of his convictions in making this experimental film which sets out to explore new horizons in the realm of film making. ||||
| Special Mention | Daddy | Hindi | Anupam Kher | Certificate Only |
| Certificate Only |||
| Special Mention | Kireedam | Malayalam | Mohanlal | Certificate Only |
| Certificate Only |||

#### Regional Awards

The award is given to best film in the regional languages in India.
| Name of Award | Name of Film | Awardee(s) | Cash Prize |
| Best Feature Film in Bengali | Ganashatru | Producer: NFDC | ₹ 20,000/- |
| Best Feature Film in Bengali | Ganashatru | Director: Satyajit Ray | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For its brilliant adaptation of Ibsen's "An Enemy of the People" to highlight the dangers of current revivalism. |||
| Best Feature Film in Gujarati | Percy | Producer: NFDC | ₹ 20,000/- |
| Best Feature Film in Gujarati | Percy | Director: Pervez Merwanji | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For its searing exploration of the neuroses and the claustrophobic embrace of an ingrown familial culture. |||
| Best Feature Film in Hindi | Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro | Producer: NFDC | ₹ 20,000/- |
| Best Feature Film in Hindi | Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro | Director: Saeed Akhtar Mirza | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For its novel examination of the nexus between urban lumpen life, crime and religious revivalism. |||
| Best Feature Film in Kannada | Mane | Producer: Apoorva Chitra | ₹ 20,000/- |
| Best Feature Film in Kannada | Mane | Director: Girish Kasaravalli | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For setting out the contradictions in the urban middle class search, both for moral legitimacy and security, in a corrupt social structure. |||
| Best Feature Film in Malayalam | Mathilukal | Producer: Adoor Gopalakrishnan | ₹ 20,000/- |
| Best Feature Film in Malayalam | Mathilukal | Director: Adoor Gopalakrishnan | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For its remarkable creation of an imprisoned writer's mind hovering between the pain of confinement, existential apprehension of death and the hallucinatory "reality" of sensual love. |||
| Best Feature Film in Marathi | Kalat Nakalat | Producer: Smita Talwalkar | ₹ 20,000/- |
| Best Feature Film in Marathi | Kalat Nakalat | Director: Kanchan Nayak | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For its delicate description of the tension of love in various facets – wife, mistress and children – and the resolution of tensions in favour of keeping a family together. |||
| Best Feature Film in Oriya | Andha Diganta | Producer: Vox Visuals Pvt. Ltd. | ₹ 20,000/- |
| Best Feature Film in Oriya | Andha Diganta | Director: Manmohan Mahapatra | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For its unemotional description of the increasing misery of a peasant who discovers his inadequacy in fighting his economic servitude and his own bourgeois attitude towards his wife's past. |||
| Best Feature Film in Punjabi | Marhi Da Deeva | Producer: NFDC | ₹ 20,000/- |
| Best Feature Film in Punjabi | Marhi Da Deeva | Director: Surinder Singh | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For its depiction of the pain and tragedy involved in the transformation of feaudalism into capitalism, which entails destruction and degradation of normal human relationships like friendship and love. |||
| Best Feature Film in Tamil | Pudhea Paadhai | Producer: A. Sundaram | ₹ 20,000/- |
| Best Feature Film in Tamil | Pudhea Paadhai | Director: R. Parthiepan | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For its depiction of the transforming effects of a woman's courage and devotion on her husband. |||
| Best Feature Film in Telugu | Suthradharulu | Producer: Sudhakar Reddy and C. Karunakar Rao | ₹ 20,000/- |
| Best Feature Film in Telugu | Suthradharulu | Director: K. Viswanath | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For the way it charts the conquest of social oppression by spiritual understanding and peace. |||

### Non-Feature Films

Short Films made in any Indian language and certified by the Central Board of Film Certification as a documentary/newsreel/fiction are eligible for non-feature film section.

#### Juries

A committee headed by Jagat Murari was appointed to evaluate the non-feature films awards. Following were the jury members:
* Jury Members
** Jagat Murari (Chairperson) • Tapan K. Bose • Santosh Sivan • Ghanashyam Mahapatra • Paresh Mehta

#### Golden Lotus Award

Official Name: Swarna Kamal
All the awardees are awarded with 'Golden Lotus Award (Swarna Kamal)', a certificate and cash prize.
| Name of Award | Name of Film | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash Prize |
| Best Non-Feature Film | Aar Koto Din | Bengali | Producer: Department of Information and Cultural Affairs India, Government of West Bengal Director: Shashi Anand | ₹ 15,000/- Each |
| Citation: For a brilliant cinematic exposition of deep anguish and helplessness at the fate of large section of the children of our country. ||||

#### Silver Lotus Award

Official Name: Rajat Kamal
All the awardees are awarded with 'Silver Lotus Award (Rajat Kamal)' and cash prize.
| Name of Award | Name of Film | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash Prize |
| Best Anthropological / Ethnographic Film | Baiga | Hindi | Producer: Madhya Pradesh Madhyam Director: Rajendra Janglay | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For its well researched portrayal of life, culture and customs of tribal community. ||||
| Best Biographical Film | C. V. Raman: The Scientist and His Legacy | English | Producer: N. K. Saigal Director: Nandan Kudhyadi | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For being an innovative and sensitive biography of a great scientist, C. V. Raman, portraying his achievements, trials and tribulations. ||||
| Best Arts / Cultural Film | Siddheshwari | Hindi | Producer: Mani Kaul Director: Mani Kaul | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For its innovative and stylised interpretation of a singer's work and her milieu. ||||
| Best Scientific Film (including Environment and Ecology) | Neuropathic Foot in Leprosy | English | Producer: Jal Mehta Director: Vishram Revankar | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For a well made specialised film effectively communicating the course of treatment in a serious disease. ||||
| Best Environment / Conservation / Preservation Film | The Deer on the Lake | English | Producer: Aribam Syam Sharma Director: Aribam Syam Sharma | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For the creative use of the cinematic medium in explaining the complexities of the ecosystem of the Loktak lake, its floating islands and the greed of man that led to the near extinction of the Sangai, the Deer of Manipur. ||||
| Best Promotional Film | Tuna: The Chicken of the Sea | English | Producer: D. Gautaman Director: K. Jagajivan Ram | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For being competent and engaging depiction of the Tuna fishing industry. ||||
| Best Agricultural Film | Integrated Pest Management in Cotton | English | Producer: D. Gautaman Director: K. Jagajivan Ram | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For its efforts towards generating awareness regarding the importance of bio-control in integrated pest management. ||||
| Best Historical Reconstruction / Compilation Film | Chhapakhanar Bangla Haraf | Bengali | Producer: Shreemati Chatterjee and Chandrika Bhattacharjee Director: Abhijit Chattopadhyay | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| ₹ 10,000/- Each |||
| Best Historical Reconstruction / Compilation Film | Kathni Karni Eksi (Jamanalal Bajaj) | Hindi | Producer: M/s Climb Films Director: Bhim Sain | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| ₹ 10,000/- Each |||
| Best Film on Social Issues | The Limp in the Niche | English | Producer: Girish Karnad Director: Girish Karnad | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For being illuminating exposition of a very humane philosophy, preaching universal brotherhood, harmony and equality of all living beings. ||||
| Best Educational / Motivational / Instructional Film | Ser Alang | Karbi | Producer: Horticulturist, Karbi Anglong Director: Indrajit Narayan Deb | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| Best Educational / Motivational / Instructional Film | Yun Sikhlayen Akhar | Hindi | Producer: M/s Ramesh Asher Films Director: Ramesh Asher | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| ₹ 10,000/- Each |||
| Best Animation Film | My Tree | | Producer: Vijay B. Chandra Director: B. R. Shendge and R. R. Swamy Animator: R. R. Swamy and V. S. Shankardas | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For effectively communicating man's alienation from nature. ||||
| Best Short Fiction Film | Behula | Bengali | Producer: Raja Mitra Director: Raja Mitra | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For a story well told. ||||
| Best Film on Family Welfare | Boy or Girl – How? | Hindi | Producer: B. R. Shendge Director: R. R. Swamy | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For effectively communicating an important message. ||||
| Special Jury Award | Kalamandalam Krishnankutty Poduval | Malayalam | K. R. Mohanan (director) | ₹ 5,000/- |
| Citation: For excellence in the use of cinema in projecting the intricate relationship between the drummer and the dancer in Kathakali. ||||

### Best Writing on Cinema

The awards aim at encouraging study and appreciation of cinema as an art form and dissemination of information and critical appreciation of this art-form through publication of books, articles, reviews etc.

#### Juries

A committee headed by Mrinal Pande was appointed to evaluate the writing on Indian cinema. Following were the jury members:
* Jury Members
** Mrinal Pande (Chairperson) • Firooze Rangoonwala • C. Radhakrishnan

#### Golden Lotus Award

Official Name: Swarna Kamal
All the awardees are awarded with 'Golden Lotus Award (Swarna Kamal)' and cash prize.
| Name of Award | Name of Book | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash Prize |
| Best Book on Cinema | Shataranj Ke Khiladi | Hindi | Author: Surendranath Tiwari Publisher: Madhya Pradesh Film Development Corporation | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For painstakingly analysing and delineating the interrelationship between a literary masterpiece and its film version, created by a master of cinema, without overlooking the salient characteristics of each art form. ||||
| Best Book on Cinema | Cinema, Kannakkum Kavithayum | Malayalam | Author: Sreekumaran Thampi Publisher: Sahithya Pravarthaka Co-op Society Ltd. | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For portraying the development of the medium poetically by blending its ethos and technique. ||||

#### Silver Lotus Award

Official Name: Rajat Kamal
All the awardees are awarded with 'Silver Lotus Award (Rajat Kamal)' and cash prize.
| Name of Award | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash Prize |
| Best Film Critic | Telugu | K. N. T. Sastry | ₹ 5,000/- |
| Citation: For combining the rare ability to comprehend the quintessential beauty of the bygone era and for reflecting the contemporary trends in cinema. The Jury also appreciates the wide range of topics covered by him. ||||

### Awards not given

Following were the awards not given as no film was found to be suitable for the award:
* Best Feature Film in Assamese
* Best Feature Film in English
* Best Feature Film in Manipuri
* Best First Non-Feature Film
* National Film Award for Best Non-Feature Film Direction
* Best Exploration / Adventure Film