# 66th National Film Awards

The 66th National Film Awards ceremony was the award ceremony which took place in 2019 to honour the best films of 2018, in the Indian cinema. The declaration of awards was delayed due to 2019 Indian general election.

## Selection process

The Directorate of Film Festivals invited online entries and the acceptable last date for entries was until 22 January 2019. Feature and Non-Feature Films certified by Central Board of Film Certification between 1 January 2018, and 31 December 2018, were eligible for the film award categories. Books, critical studies, reviews or articles on cinema published in Indian newspapers, magazines, and journals between 1 January 2018, and 31 December 2018, were eligible for the best writing on cinema section. Entries of dubbed, revised or copied versions of a film or translation, abridgements, edited or annotated works and reprints were ineligible for the awards.
For the Feature and Non-Feature Films sections, films in any Indian language, shot on 16 mm, 35 mm, a wider film gauge or a digital format, and released in cinemas, on video or digital formats for home viewing were eligible. Films were required to be certified as a feature film, a featurette or a Documentary/Newsreel/Non-Fiction by the Central Board of Film Certification.

## Best Film Friendly State

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 a State Government Policy.
* Jury Members
* • Ramesh Sippy (Chairperson)
* • Vivek Agnihotri
* • Uday Singh
| Award | Name of State | Citation |
| Best Film Friendly State | State of Uttarakhand | For furthering the growth of the film industry in the State including creating an environment for ease of filming in the State, encouraging skill/talent development, incentivizing the re-opening of closed cinema halls, formation of film development fund, continuing with the earlier incentive plan for filming, formation of Utttarakhand Film Development Council among other pro active initiatives. |

## Dadasaheb Phalke Award

Introduced in 1969, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award is the highest award given to recognise the contributions of film personalities towards the development of Indian cinema and for distinguished contributions to the medium, its growth and promotion. The recipient is awarded with 'Golden Lotus Award (Swarna Kamal)', cash prize, and a shawl.
| Award | Image | Awardee(s) | Awarded As | Cash Prize |
| Dadasaheb Phalke Award | | Amitabh Bachchan | Actor | ₹1 million (US$12,000) |

## Feature films
### Jury

For the Feature Film section, six committees were formed based on the different geographic regions in India. The two-tier evaluation process included a central committee and five regional committees. The central committee, headed by the director Priyadarshan, included the heads of each regional committee and five other jury members. At regional level, each committee consisted of one chief and four members. The chief and one non-chief member of each regional committee were selected from outside that geographic region. The table below names the jury members for the central and regional committees:
Central Jury
* Rahul Rawail (Chairperson) :
| • Rajdutt | • Sabyasachi Mohapatra |
| • K. Vasu | • Archana R. Singh |
| • Vijayakrishnan | • Major Ravi |
| • Imo Singh | • Vinod Ganatra |
| • B. S. Lingadevaru | • Ashok Rane |
Northern Region: (Bhojpuri, Dogri, English, Hindi, Punjabi, Rajasthani, Urdu)
* Major Ravi (Head) :
| • Kuldip Sinha | • Rahul Solapurkar |
| • Ashok Sharan | • Devendra Khandelwal |
Eastern Region: (Assamese, Bengali, Odia and North-Eastern dialects)
* Vinod Ganatra (Head) :
| • Monalisa Mukherjee | • Namasrri |
| • Akashaditya Lama | • Suraj Kumar Duwarah |
Western Region: (Gujarati, Konkani, Marathi)
* B. S. Lingadevaru (Head) :
| • Gyan Sahay | • Mahendra Teredesai |
| • Parag Chhapekar | • Neeraj Pathak |
Southern Region I: (Malayalam, Tamil)
* Ashok Rane (Head) :
| • B. Divaker | • A. Karthik Raja |
| • Jayaram Kailas | • Shailesh Gupta |
Southern Region II: (Kannada, Telugu)
* Imo Singh (Head) :
| • Malti Sahay | • M. K. Bhaskara Rao |
| • S. M. Patil | • B. Ramani |

### All India Award
#### Golden Lotus Awards

Official Name: Swarna Kamal
All the awardees are awarded with 'Golden Lotus Award (Swarna Kamal)', a certificate and cash prize.
| Award | Film | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash Prize |
| Best Feature Film | Hellaro | Gujarati | Producer: Saarthi Productions LLP Director: Abhishek Shah | ₹ 250,000/- each |
| Best Debut Film of a Director | Naal | Marathi | Producer: Mrudhgandh Films LLP Director: Sudhakar Reddy Yakkanti | ₹ 125,000/- each |
| Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment | Badhaai Ho | Hindi | Producer: Junglee Pictures Limited Director: Amit Sharma | ₹ 200,000/- each |
| Best Children's Film | Sarkari Hi. Pra. Shaale, Kasaragodu, Koduge: Ramanna Rai | Kannada | Producer & Director: Rishab Shetty | ₹ 150,000/- each |
| Best Direction | Uri: The Surgical Strike | Hindi | Aditya Dhar | ₹ 250,000/- |

#### Silver Lotus Award

Official Name: Rajat Kamal
All the awardees are awarded with 'Silver Lotus Award (Rajat Kamal)', a certificate and cash prize.
| Award | Film | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash Prize |
| Best Feature Film on National Integration | Ondalla Eradalla | Kannada | Producer: Umapathy Srinivas Director: D Satya Prakash | ₹ 150,000/- each |
| Best Film on Other Social Issues | Pad Man | Hindi | Producer: Hope Productions Pvt. Ltd Director: R. Balki | ₹ 150,000/- each |
| Best Film on Environment/Conservation/Preservation | Paani | Marathi | Producer:Purple Pebble Pictures Director:Adinath Kothare | ₹ 150,000/- each |
| Best Actor | Andhadhun | Hindi | Ayushman Khurrana | ₹ 50,000/- each |
| Best Actor | Uri: The Surgical Strike | Hindi | Vicky Kaushal | ₹ 50,000/- each |
| Best Actress | Mahanati | Telugu | Keerthy Suresh | ₹ 50,000/- |
| Best Supporting Actor | Chumbak | Marathi | Swanand Kirkire | ₹ 50,000/- |
| Best Supporting Actress | Badhaai Ho | Hindi | Surekha Sikri | ₹ 50,000/- |
| Best Child Artist | Ondalla Eradalla | Kannada | P V Rohith | ₹ 50,000/- |
| Best Child Artist | Naal | Marathi | Shrinivas Pokale | ₹ 50,000/- |
| Best Child Artist | Harjeeta | Punjabi | Sameep Ranaut | ₹ 50,000/- |
| Best Child Artist | Hamid | Urdu | Talha Arshad Reshi | ₹ 50,000/- |
| Best Male Playback Singer | Padmaavat (For the song "Binte Dil") | Hindi | Arijit Singh | ₹ 50,000/- |
| Best Female Playback Singer | Nathicharami (For the song "Maayavi Manave") | Kannada | Bindhu Malini | ₹ 50,000/- |
| Best Cinematography | Olu | Malayalam | M. J. Radhakrishnan | ₹ 50,000/- |
| Best Screenplay • Screenplay Writer (Original) | Chi La Sow | Telugu | Rahul Ravindran | ₹ 50,000/- |
| Best Screenplay • Screenplay Writer (Adapted) | Andhadhun | Hindi | Sriram Raghavan, Arijit Biswas, Yogesh Chandekar, Hemanth Rao, and Pooja Ladha Surti | ₹ 50,000/- |
| Best Screenplay • Dialogues | Tarikh | Bengali | Churni Ganguly | ₹ 50,000/- |
| Best Audiography • Location Sound Recordist | Tendlya | Marathi | Gaurav Verma | ₹ 50,000/- |
| Best Audiography • Sound Designer | Uri: The Surgical Strike | Hindi | Bishwadeep Chatterjee | ₹ 50,000/- |
| Best Audiography • Re-recordist of the Final Mixed Track | Rangasthalam | Telugu | Raja Krishnan M.R | ₹ 50,000/- |
| Best Editing | Nathicharami | Kannada | Nagendra Ujjani | ₹ 50,000/- |
| Best Production Design | Kammara Sambhavam | Malayalam | Vinesh Banglan | ₹ 50,000/- |
| Best Costume Design | Mahanati | Telugu | Indrakshi Pattanaik, Gaurang Shah & Archana Rao | ₹ 50,000/- |
| Best Make-up Artist | Awe | Telugu | Ranjith | ₹ 50,000/- |
| Best Music Direction • Songs | Padmaavat | Hindi | Sanjay Leela Bhansali | ₹ 50,000/- |
| Best Music Direction • Background Score | Uri: The Surgical Strike | Hindi | Shashwat Sachdev | ₹ 50,000/- |
| Best Lyrics | Nathicharami (For the song "Maayavi Manave") | Kannada | Manjunatha S. Reddy (ManSoRe) | ₹ 50,000/- |
| Best Special Effects | K.G.F: Chapter 1 | Kannada | Unifi Media | ₹ 50,000/- |
| Best Special Effects | Awe | Telugu | Srushti Creative Studio | ₹ 50,000/- |
| Best Choreography | Padmaavat (For the song "Ghoomar") | Hindi | Jyoti D Tommar & Kruti Mahesh | ₹ 50,000/- |
| Best Stunt Choreographer | K.G.F: Chapter 1 | Kannada | Vikram More & Anbu Ariv | ₹ 50,000/- |
| Special Jury Award | Kedara | Bengali | Indraadip Dasgupta | ₹ 2,00,000/- |
| Special Jury Award | Hellaro | Gujarati | Shraddha Dangar, Shachi Joshi, Denisha Ghumra, Niilam Paanchal, Tarjani Bhadla, Brinda Nayak, Tejal Panchasara, Kaushambi Bhatt, Ekta Bachwani, Kamini Panchal, Jagruti Thakore, Riddhi Yadav, and Prapti Mehta | ₹ 2,00,000/- |
| Special Mention | Nathicharami | Kannada | Sruthi Hariharan (Actress) | Certificate only |
| Special Mention | Kadhak | Hindi | Chandrachoor Rai (Actor) | Certificate only |
| Special Mention | Joseph | Malayalam | Joju George (Actor) | Certificate only |
| Special Mention | Sudani From Nigeria | Malayalam | Savithri Sreedharan (Actress) | Certificate only |

### Regional Awards

National Film Awards are also given to the best films in the regional languages of India. Awards for the regional languages are categorised as per their mention in the Eighth schedule of the Constitution of India. Awardees included producers and directors of the film. No films in languages other than those specified in the Schedule VIII of the Constitution were eligible.
| Award | Film | Awardee(s) | Awardee(s) | Cash Prize |
| Award | Film | Producer | Director | Cash Prize |
| Best Feature Film in Assamese | Bulbul Can Sing | Flying River Films | Rima Das | ₹ 1,00,000/- each |
| Best Feature Film in Bengali | Ek Je Chhilo Raja | SVF Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. | Srijit Mukherji | ₹ 1,00,000/- each |
| Best Feature Film in Gujarati | Reva | Paresh Vora | • Rahul Bhole • Vinit Kanojia | ₹ 1,00,000/- each |
| Best Feature Film in Hindi | Andhadhun | Viacom18 Motion Pictures | Sriram Raghavan | ₹ 1,00,000/- each |
| Best Feature Film in Kannada | Nathicharami | M. Ramesh | ManSoRe (Manjunath S. Reddy) | ₹ 1,00,000/- each |
| Best Feature Film in Konkani | Amori | Opus Ga La | Dinesh P. Bhonsle | ₹ 1,00,000/- each |
| Best Feature Film in Malayalam | Sudani From Nigeria | • Sameer Thahir • Shyju Khalid | Zakariya Mohammed | ₹ 1,00,000/- each |
| Best Feature Film in Marathi | Bhonga | Nalinee Productions | Shivaji Lotan Patil | ₹ 1,00,000/- each |
| Best Feature Film in Punjabi | Harjeeta | Villagers Film Studio | Vijay Kumar Arora | ₹ 1,00,000/- each |
| Best Feature Film in Tamil | Baaram | • Priya Krishnaswamy • Ardra Swaroop | Priya Krishnaswamy | ₹ 1,00,000/- each |
| Best Feature Film in Telugu | Mahanati | Priyanka Dutt | Nag Ashwin | ₹ 1,00,000/- each |
| Best Feature Film in Urdu | Hamid | Saregama India Limited | Aijaz Khan | ₹ 1,00,000/- each |

#### Best Feature Film in Each of the Language Other Than Those Specified In the Schedule VIII of the Constitution

| Award | Film | Awardee(s) | Awardee(s) | Cash Prize |
| Award | Film | Producer | Director | Cash Prize |
| Best Feature Film in Pangchenpa | In The Land Of Poison Women | Aaas Productions | Manju Borah | ₹ 1,00,000/- each |
| Best Feature Film in Rajasthani | Turtle | Shivazza Films & Entertainment | Dinesh S Yadav | ₹ 1,00,000/- each |
| Best Feature Film in Garo | Ma.ama | Anna Films | Dominic Sangma | ₹ 1,00,000/- each |
| Best Feature Film in Sherdukpen | Mishing | BB Entertainment Trade Private Limited | Bobby Sarma Baruah | ₹ 1,00,000/- each |

## 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.

### Jury

A committee of seven, headed by cinematographer A. S. Kanal, was appointed to evaluate the Non-Feature Films entries. The jury members were:
* A. S. Kanal (Chairperson) :
| • Dhvani Desai | • Rajendra Mohapatra |
| • Chetan Mathur | • B. R. Srivatsa |
| • Vandana Kohli | • Atul Gangawar |

### Golden Lotus Award

Official Name: Swarna Kamal
All the awardees are awarded with 'Golden Lotus Award (Swarna Kamal)', a certificate and cash prize.
| Award | Film | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash Prize |
| Best Non-Feature Film | Son Rise & The Secret Life of Frogs | | Vibha Bakshi Ajay Bedi & Vijay Bedi | ₹ 150,000/- each |
| Best Director in Non-Feature Film | Feluda: 50 Years of Ray's Detective | Bengali | Sagnik Chatterjee | ₹ 150,000/- |

### Silver Lotus Award

Official Name: Rajat Kamal
All the Awardees are awarded with 'Silver Lotus Award (Rajat Kamal)' and cash prize.
| Award | Film | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash Prize |
| Best First Non-Feature Film | Son Rise | | Vibha Bakshi | ₹ 75,000/- each |
| Best Scientific Film | G. D. Naidu: The Edison of India | | | ₹ 50,000/- each |
| Best Arts / Cultural Film | Bunkar - The Last of the Varanasi Weavers | English with Hindi | Satyaprakash Upadhyay | ₹ 50,000/- each |
| Best Environment Film including Best Agricultural Film | The World's Most Famous Tiger | | Subbiah Nallamuthu | ₹ 50,000/- each |
| Best Promotional Film | Rediscovering Jajam | | Avinash Maurya, Kriti Gupta (Directors) Rachel Bracken Singh (Producer) | ₹ 50,000/- each |
| Best Film on Social Issues | Taala Te Kunjee | | Shilpi Gulati (Director) Simardeep Singh (Producer) | ₹ 50,000/- each |
| Best Educational / Motivational / Instructional Film | Sarala Virala | Kannada | Ere Gowda | ₹ 50,000/- each |
| Best Anthropological/Ethnographic Film | | | | ₹ 50,000/- each |
| Best Exploration / Adventure Film (including sports) | Swimming Through The Darkness | | Supriyo Sen | ₹ 50,000/- each |
| Best Investigative Film | Amoli | | Jasmine Kaur Roy Avinash Roy Sameer Pitalwalla | ₹ 50,000/- each |
| Best Animation Film | | | | ₹ 50,000/- each |
| Best Short Fiction Film | Kharvas | | Aditya Suhas Jambhale | ₹ 50,000/- each |
| Best Film on Family Welfare | Chalo Jeetey Hai | | | ₹ 50,000/- each |
| Best Cinematography | The Secret Life of Frogs | | Ajay Bedi, Vijay Bedi | ₹ 50,000/- each |
| Best Audiography | Children Of the Soil | | Bishwadeep Chatterjee | ₹ 50,000/- |
| Best Audiography • Location Sound Recordist | The Secret Life of Frogs | | Ajay Bedi | ₹ 50,000/- |
| Best Editing | Son Rise | | Hemanti Sarkar | ₹ 50,000/- |
| Best Music Direction | Jyoti | | Kedar Divekar | ₹ 50,000/- |
| Best Narration / Voice Over | Madhubani: The Station Of Colour | | "Urvija Upadhyay" "Deepak Agnihotri" | ₹ 50,000/- |
| Special Mention | Mahaan Hutatma Glow Worm in a Jungle Laddoo | Kannada English Hindi | Sagar Puranik Ramana Dumpala Sameer and Kishore Sadhwani | Certificate only |

## 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.

### Jury

A committee of three, headed by Utpal Borpujari was appointed to evaluate the nominations for the best writing on Indian cinema. The jury members were as follows:
* Utpal Borpujari (Chairperson) :
| • Mohan Raman | • Yatindra Mishra |

### Golden Lotus Award

Official Name: Swarna Kamal
All the awardees are awarded with the Golden Lotus Award (Swarna Kamal) accompanied with a cash prize.
| Award | Book | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash Prize |
| Best Book on Cinema | Mouna Prathanapole | Malayalam | Publisher: Kerala State Chalachitra Academy Author: S. Jayachandran Nair | ₹ 75,000/- each |
| Best Film Critic | N/A | • Malayalam • Hindi | • Blais Johnny • Anant Vijay | ₹ 75,000/- |
| Special Mention (Book on Cinema) | In A Cult Of Their Own: Bollywood Beyond Box Office | English | Amborish Roychoudhury | Certificate Only |