# 44th National Film Awards

The 44th National Film Awards, presented by Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India to felicitate the best of Indian Cinema released in the year 1996. The awards were announced on 6 May 1997, and presented in July.

## Awards

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

### Lifetime Achievement 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.
| Name of Award | Image | Awardee(s) | Awarded As | Awards |
| Dadasaheb Phalke Award | | Sivaji Ganesan | Actor | Swarna Kamal, ₹ 100,000 and a Shawl |

### Feature films

Feature films were awarded at All India as well as regional level. For 44th National Film Awards, a Bengali film, Lal Darja won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film, whereas a Tamil film, Minsara Kanavu won the maximum number of awards (4). Following were the awards given in each category:

#### Juries

A committee headed by T. Subbarami Reddy was appointed to evaluate the feature films awards. Following were the jury members:
* Jury Members
** T. Subbarami Reddy (Chairperson) • Basu Chatterjee • Charuhasan • Madhu • Mike Pandey • Nirad N. Mohapatra • Vijaya Mulay
** Raghav Menon • Sushma Shiromani • Jwngdao Bodosa • M. S. Sathyu • G. Venkateswaran • D. Ramanaidu • Swaraj Lamba • Swapan Kumar Ghosh

#### 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 | Lal Darja | Bengali | Producer: Chitrani Lahiri director: Buddhadeb Dasgupta | ₹ 50,000/- Each |
| Citation: For its poetic presentation and exploration of complexities of human relationship in a contemporary urban milieu. ||||
| Best Debut Film of a Director | Rag Birag | Assamese | Producer: Bhabhen Baruah and Khanin Baruah Director: Bidyut Chakraborty | ₹ 25,000/- Each |
| Citation: For director's sensitivity in portraying complex human psyche of individual character's in the film. ||||
| Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment | Maachis | Hindi | Producer: R. V. Pandit Director: Gulzar | ₹ 40,000/- Each |
| Citation: For powerful depiction of Punjab situation, exploring the trauma, conflict and tragedy of the youth in Punjab. ||||
| Best Children's Film | Damu | Bengali | Producer: Art Films Director: Raja Sen | ₹ 30,000/- Each |
| Citation: For charming story of a simpleton who keeps his word given to a child. ||||
| Best Direction | Kadhal Kottai | Tamil | Agathiyan | ₹ 50,000/- |
| Citation: For a brilliantly knit plot, maintaining the tempo and rhythms of an unusual love story till end. ||||

##### 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 |
| Best Feature Film on National Integration | Kanakkinavu | Malayalam | Producer: P. V. Gangadharan Director: Sibi Malayil | ₹ 30,000/- Each |
| Citation: For its brilliant and bold approach to National Integration and the futility of division in the name of religion. ||||
| Best Film on Family Welfare | Latthi | Bengali | Producer: Robin Agarwal Director: Prabhat Roy | ₹ 30,000/- Each |
| Citation: For focusing on the plight of the seniors in the society and how a determined group of pensioners transform the power relations in a family, in a wholesome manner. ||||
| Best Film on Other Social Issues | Tamanna | Hindi | Producer: Pooja Bhatt Director: Mahesh Bhatt | ₹ 30,000/- Each |
| Citation: For depicting the selfless dedication and love of eunuchs for an abandoned child. ||||
| Best Actor | Indian | Tamil | Kamal Haasan | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For his double role in the film. His remarkable range in the entire diverse roles shows his excellent calibre as an actor. ||||
| Best Actress | Maachis | Hindi | Tabu | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For sensitive portrayal of a woman trapped in the vortex of conflicts. ||||
| Best Supporting Actor | Agni Sakshi | Hindi | Nana Patekar | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For his brilliant performance as an obsessed husband. ||||
| Best Supporting Actress | Sardari Begum | Urdu | Rajeshwari Sachdev | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For her role in the film, in which she depicts the aspirations and agony of a lonely teenage girl. ||||
| Best Child Artist | Little Soldiers | Telugu | Kavya | ₹ 5,000/- Each |
| ₹ 5,000/- Each |||
| Best Child Artist | Desadanam | Malayalam | Kumar | ₹ 5,000/- Each |
| ₹ 5,000/- Each |||
| Best Male Playback Singer | Minsara Kanavu ("Thanga Thamarai") | Tamil | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For his brilliant rendering of the song. ||||
| Best Female Playback Singer | Minsara Kanavu ("Mana Madurai") | Tamil | K. S. Chithra | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For her soulful rendering of the song. ||||
| Best Cinematography | • Adajya • Rag Birag | Assamese | Cameraman: Mrinal Kanti Das Laboratory Processing: Prasad Film Laboratories | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For his versatile, imaginative and superb combinations and mood lighting. ||||
| Best Screenplay | Kadhal Kottai | Tamil | Agathiyan | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For tightly knit and smooth flowing plot with excellent dialogues and razor-sharp tuning. ||||
| Best Audiography | Desadanam | Malayalam | Krishnan Unni | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For excellent use and blending of ambient sound with superb effects, appropriate to the spirit depicted in the film. ||||
| Best Editing | Rag Birag | Assamese | A. Sreekar Prasad | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For slickly editing with imagination, setting the pace and flow of the story. ||||
| Best Art Direction | Indian | Tamil | Thotta Tharani | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For erection of sets and selection of locations perfectly retaining the period depicted in the story and enhancing the huge canvas of the film. ||||
| Best Costume Design | Kulam | Malayalam | M. Dandapani | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For creating beautiful costumes that are authentic to the period depicted in the film. ||||
| Best Music Direction | Minsara Kanavu | Tamil | A. R. Rahman | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For innovative compositions breaking all traditions, entering into new era. ||||
| Best Lyrics | Saaz | Hindi | Javed Akhtar | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For its poetic and traditional expression. ||||
| Best Special Effects | Indian | Tamil | S. T. Venki | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For recreation of the period images and also for combining new footage with stock footage. ||||
| Best Choreography | Minsara Kanavu ("Vennilavae Vennilavae" and "Strawberry Kannae") | Tamil | Prabhu Deva | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For sensual body language is par excellence and appropriate to unique choreographic patterns. ||||
| Special Jury Award | Daayraa | Hindi | Amol Palekar (Director) | ₹ 12,500/- Each |
| ₹ 12,500/- Each |||
| Special Jury Award | Sardari Begum | Urdu | Kirron Kher (Actor) | ₹ 12,500/- Each |
| ₹ 12,500/- Each |||
| Special Mention | Sanghat | Bengali | Dolon Roy (Actress) | Certificate Only |
| Certificate Only |||
| Special Mention | Adajya | Assamese | Bhagirathee (Actress) | 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 Assamese | Adajya | Producer: Nayan Prasad Director: Santwana Bardoloi | ₹ 20,000/- Each |
| Citation: For a subtle and sensitive exploration of loneliness trauma and coverage of 3 widows caught in the complex web of ritualistic beliefs. |||
| Best Feature Film in Bengali | Sanghat | Producer: Pinaki Chaudhuri Director: Pinaki Chaudhuri | ₹ 20,000/- Each |
| Citation: For effectively bringing out the trials and tribulations faced by working women in contemporary society. |||
| Best Feature Film in Hindi | Gudia | Producer: Amit Khanna and Mahesh Bhatt Director: Gautam Ghose | ₹ 20,000/- Each |
| Citation: For an unusual exploration into the lives of traditional entertainers and the entwined relationships between the animate and inanimate players that develop into an obsession. |||
| Best Feature Film in Kannada | America! America!! | Producer: G. Nandakumar Director: Nagathihalli Chandrashekhar | ₹ 20,000/- Each |
| Citation: For mature handling of a deftly written script set in USA and India holding up love for one's own country and cultural values. |||
| Best Feature Film in Malayalam | Desadanam | Producer: Jayaraj Director: Jayaraj | ₹ 20,000/- Each |
| Citation: For depicting in an excellent manner the conflicts between love, traditional bonds and duties, arising out of religious beliefs. |||
| Best Feature Film in Marathi | Rao Saheb | Producer: K. B. Joshi and Ravindra Surve Director: Sanjay Surkar | ₹ 20,000/- Each |
| Citation: For depicting the struggle for power of ambitious politicians in a most effective manner. |||
| Best Feature Film in Oriya | Shunya Swaroopa | Producer: Alaya Kumar Mohanty Director: Himanshu Sekhar Khatua | ₹ 20,000/- Each |
| Citation: For a beautifully photographed film depicting the conflicts of a layman floundering in the world of sanyasias. |||
| Best Feature Film in Tamil | Kadhal Kottai | Producer: D. Pandian Director: Agaththian | ₹ 20,000/- Each |
| Citation: For a charming love story with unusual twists and turns of fate told in an interesting manner with good production values. |||
| Best Feature Film in Telugu | Ninne Pelladutha | Producer: Nagarjuna Director: Krishna Vamsi | ₹ 20,000/- Each |
| Citation: For the innovative way in which a family drama with the contemporary theme is handled. |||
| Best Feature Film in Urdu | Sardari Begum | Producer: Amit Khanna and Mahesh Bhatt Director: Shyam Benegal | ₹ 20,000/- Each |
| Citation: For excellent recreation of an era and showing dedication of an artist to music that defies all orthodox and conservative values. |||

### 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 N. S. Thapa was appointed to evaluate the non-feature films awards. Following were the jury members:
* Jury Members
** N. S. Thapa (Chairperson) • Swapna Sundari • Meera Dewan • Sukumaran • Punathil Kunjabdulla

#### 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 | Sham's Vision | English | Producer: Manu Grover Director: Shaji N. Karun | ₹ 20,000/- Each |
| Citation: For its moving portrayal of an artist's rich inner vision which lights his outer world of darkness. ||||

#### 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 First Non-Feature Film | Yeh Woh Sahar To Nahin | Hindi | Producer: Film and Television Institute of India Director: Sudhakar Rao | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For its imaginative use of sound and visuals to capture the undercurrents of human response to outer tensions. ||||
| Best Biographical Film | Hastir Kanya | Assamese | Producer: Digbijay Medhi Director: Prabin Hazarika | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For exploring the world of Goalpariya folk music through the life of singer Pratima Borooah Pandey of Gauripur, Assam. ||||
| Best Arts / Cultural Film | Nauka Charitramu | English | Producer: Saroj Satyanarayan Director: Saroj Satyanarayan | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For its innovative cinematic portrayal of three women musicians of Carnatic tradition. ||||
| Best Film on Social Issues | Silent Screams: A Village Chronicle | English | Producer: Jose Sebastián Director: O. K. Johnny | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For highlighting with sensitivity and sincerity, the agony of the tribal woman of Thrinelli, Kerala. ||||
| Best Educational / Motivational / Instructional Film | Rabia Chalikkunnu | Malayalam | Producer: Abraham Benhur Director: Ali Akbar | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For its credible and inspiring portrayal of a young girl who overcomes her physical and social disabilities and becomes a role model for society. ||||
| Best Investigative Film | N. M. No. 309 Bhiwandi Tragedy | English | Producer: Yash Chowdhary Director: V. Packiri Swamy | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For the exploration of the issue of health hazards faced by migrant industrial workers. ||||
| Best Animation Film | The Lost Horizon | Only music | Producer: Arun Gongade Director: Arun Gongade Animator: Arun Gongade | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For its creative synthesis of animation with Warli folk art in conveying a vital environmental message. ||||
| Best Short Fiction Film | Vidiyalai Nokki | Tamil | Producer: F and T, V. T. I. N. Chennai Director: P. Venkatesh | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| ₹ 10,000/- Each |||
| Best Short Fiction Film | Athmeeyam | Malayalam | Producer: Film and Television Institute of India Director: Nandakumar Kavil | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| ₹ 10,000/- Each |||
| Best Film on Family Welfare | Bhit | Bengali | Producer: Films Division and K. R. G. Films Director: Glbahar Singh | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For its credible depiction of a rural health worker's efforts in transforming her community. ||||
| Best Cinematography | Sham's Vision | English | Cameraman: Hari Nair Laboratory Processing: Prasad Film Lab | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For his brilliant use of light and shade, to bring to life even inanimate objects in the film. ||||
| Best Audiography | Tat Tvam Asi | Hindi and English | Nihar R. Samal | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For his restrained, balanced and multi-layered soundtrack. ||||
| Best Editing | Nauka Charitramu | English | A. Sreekar Prasad | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For knitting together harmoniously into an unbroken visual flow in the film. ||||
| Special Jury Award | Dhatu Jhar '96 | Bengali | Nilotpal Majumdar (Producer, Director and Cinematographer) | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For his bold and experimental exploration of the dilemma between discovery and destruction. ||||

### 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 Khalid Mohamed was appointed to evaluate the writing on Indian cinema. Following were the jury members:
* Jury Members
** Khalid Mohamed (Chairperson) • Pritiman Sarkar • V. K. Madhavan Kutty

#### 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 | The Eye of the Serpent | English | Author: S. Theodore Baskaran Publisher: East West Books Pvt. Ltd. | ₹ 15,000/- Each |
| Citation: For the methodically researched books on Tamil films which informs and enlightens the reader about one of the most prolific cinemas of our country which has kept re-defining itself over the decades. ||||
| Best Film Critic | | | M. K. Raghavendra | ₹ 15,000/- |
| Citation: For his provocative and iconoclastic writing, which inspires debate and discussion, so rare in film criticism today. ||||

### Awards not given

Following were the awards not given as no film was found to be suitable for the award:
* Best Film on Environment / Conservation / Preservation
* Best Feature Film in Manipuri
* Best Feature Film in Punjabi
* Best Feature Film in English
* Best Non-Feature Film Direction
* Best Anthropological / Ethnographic Film
* Best Promotional Film
* Best Scientific Film
* Best Environment / Conservation / Preservation Film
* Best Agricultural Film
* Best Historical Reconstruction / Compilation Film
* Best Exploration / Adventure Film
* Best Music Direction