# 38th National Film Awards

The 38th 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 1990. Ceremony took place in 1991.
With 38th National Film Awards, couple of new awards were instituted for Non-Feature films section. These awards includes Best Investigative Film, Best Audiography, Best Cinematography and Best Editing.

## 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 | | Akkineni Nageswara Rao | Actor | Swarna Kamal, ₹ 100,000 and a Shawl |

### Feature films

Feature films were awarded at All India as well as regional level. For 38th National Film Awards, a Tamil film, Marupakkam won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film, whereas a Hindi film, Lekin... won the maximum number of awards (5). Following were the awards given in each category:

#### Juries

A committee headed by veteran actor Ashok Kumar was appointed to evaluate the feature films awards. Following were the jury members:
* Jury Members
** Ashok Kumar (Chairperson) • Usha Khanna • P. V. Gangadharan • Honey Irani • Janardhan Roy • Raj Bisaria • T. Subbarami Reddy • Sripriya • Komal Swaminathan • J. P. Das • Rekha Sahay • G. V. Iyer • T. S. Narasimhan • Bhupen Hazarika • Kalpana Lajmi • Premlata Bajpai • Shaji N. Karun

#### 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 | Marupakkam | Tamil | Producer: NFDC and Doordarshan | ₹ 50,000/- |
| Best Feature Film | Marupakkam | Tamil | director: K. S. Sethumadhavan | ₹ 25,000/- |
| Citation: For striking a balance between the existing traditional values and the modern values that are infused subsequently, and for treating the subject with the highest standards or aesthetic excellence. ||||
| Best Debut Film of a Director | Perumthachan | Malayalam | Producer: G. Jayakumar Director: Ajayan | ₹ 25,000/- Each |
| Citation: For depicting a historical backdrop with authenticity, shattering all traditional beliefs with superlative artistic texture. ||||
| Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment | Ghayal | Hindi | Producer: Dharmendra | ₹ 40,000/- |
| Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment | Ghayal | Hindi | Director: Rajkumar Santoshi | ₹ 20,000/- |
| Citation: For being thematically highly credible, emotionally very well-woven, logically executed, and technically superb film. ||||
| Best Direction | Ek Doctor Ki Maut | Hindi | Tapan Sinha | ₹ 50,000/- |
| Citation: For having presented a contemporary problem with courage, subtlety and finesse. ||||

##### 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 | Ek Doctor Ki Maut | Hindi | Producer: NFDC | ₹30,000/- |
| Second Best Feature Film | Ek Doctor Ki Maut | Hindi | Director: Tapan Sinha | ₹15,000/- |
| Citation: For making a relevant social comment, presented in a tremendously communicative yet emotional manner. ||||
| Best Film on Other Social Issues | Oru Veedu Iru Vasal | Tamil | Producer: Kavithalayaa Productions | ₹ 30,000/- |
| Best Film on Other Social Issues | Oru Veedu Iru Vasal | Tamil | Director: K. Balachander | ₹ 15,000/- |
| Citation: For focussing on women's problem and very sensitively showing the path by which women can be emancipated. ||||
| Best Actor | Agneepath | Hindi | Amitabh Bachchan | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For a towering performance, rising above the script with variation and nuances at all levels. ||||
| Best Actress | Karthavyam | Telugu | Vijayashanti | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For depicting both aggression and femininity with balance and restraint. ||||
| Best Supporting Actor | His Highness Abdullah | Malayalam | Nedumudi Venu | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For maintaining the character with consistency and sensitivity. ||||
| Best Supporting Actress | Amaram | Malayalam | K. P. A. C. Lalitha | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For portraying an ethnic character with authenticity. ||||
| Best Child Artist | Anjali | Tamil | • Baby Shruti • Master Tarun • Baby Shamili | ₹ 5,000/- |
| Citation: For giving excellent performances in which the children come across in all naturalness and yet give a glimpse of the adult within. ||||
| Best Male Playback Singer | His Highness Abdullah ("Naadaroopini Sankari Pahimam") | Malayalam | M. G. Sreekumar | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For an excellent rendering of a classical-based tune encompassing all ranges accurately. ||||
| Best Female Playback Singer | Lekin... | Hindi | Lata Mangeshkar | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For singing with outstanding expressions with the rarest and purest of styles. ||||
| Best Cinematography | Perumthachan | Malayalam | Cameraman: Santosh Sivan Laboratory Processing: M/s Vijay Colour Laboratories | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For heightening the mood of the film with the highest visual standards. ||||
| Best Screenplay | Marupakkam | Tamil | K. S. Sethumadhavan | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For depicting a simplistic story, capturing the various levels of philosophy, psychology, tradition and relationships perfectly. ||||
| Best Audiography | Anjali | Tamil | N. Pandurangan | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For aesthetically weaving the soundtrack in the most creative manner to enhance the visuals of the film. ||||
| Best Editing | Iyer the Great | Malayalam | M. S. Mani | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For slick well-placed editing which elevates the craft of the film. ||||
| Best Art Direction | Lekin... | Hindi | Nitish Roy | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For maintaining the era, etching the characters against the canvas, with perfect colour, design and execution. ||||
| Best Costume Design | Lekin... | Hindi | Bhanu Athaiya | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For the texture and tone of the costumes, which heighten the visual quality of the film, breaking away from the traditional image of bright Rajasthani colours by using subdued pastel shades. ||||
| Best Music Direction | Lekin... | Hindi | Hridaynath Mangeshkar | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For using traditional tunes and instruments creatively, with litting melody and haunting perfection. ||||
| Best Lyrics | Lekin... | Hindi | Gulzar | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For evoking beautiful imagery, created through lyrical poetry. ||||
| Special Jury Award | Ek Doctor Ki Maut | Hindi | Pankaj Kapoor (Actor) | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| ₹ 10,000/- Each |||
| Special Jury Award | Ghayal | Hindi | Sunny Deol (Actor) | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| ₹ 10,000/- Each |||
| Special Jury Award | Marupakkam | Tamil | Jayabharathi (Actor) | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| ₹ 10,000/- Each |||
| Special Mention | Ishanou | Meitei | Anoubam Kiranmala (Actor) | Certificate Only |
| Citation: For a debut performance depicting various levels of conflict effectively. ||||

#### 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 | Jooj | Producer: Bipul Baruah | ₹ 20,000/- |
| Best Feature Film in Assamese | Jooj | Director: Hemen Das | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For attempting to portray, with conviction, the earthy realism in the field of social differences. |||
| Best Feature Film in Bengali | Atmaja | Producer: Raj Kumar Jain | ₹ 20,000/- |
| Best Feature Film in Bengali | Atmaja | Director: Nabyendu Chatterjee | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For its masterly depiction of a mother's quest, torn between the hollowness of wealth and the transcendence of human values. |||
| Best Feature Film in Hindi | Drishti | Producer: Govind Nihalani | ₹ 20,000/- |
| Best Feature Film in Hindi | Drishti | Director: Govind Nihalani | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For depicting marital pain very effectively. |||
| Best Feature Film in Kannada | Muthina Haara | Producer: Rajendra Singh Babu | ₹ 20,000/- |
| Best Feature Film in Kannada | Muthina Haara | Director: Rajendra Singh Babu | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For effectively portraying patriotism. |||
| Best Feature Film in Malayalam | Vasthuhara | Producer: T. Ravindranath | ₹ 20,000/- |
| Best Feature Film in Malayalam | Vasthuhara | Director: G. Aravindan | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For being a human document, depicting the cruelties meted out by society to the dispossessed. |||
| Best Feature Film in Tamil | Anjali | Producer: Sujatha Productions Pvt. Ltd | ₹ 20,000/- |
| Best Feature Film in Tamil | Anjali | Director: Mani Ratnam | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For the unusual usage of film form, utilising music, choreography and sound with depth, achieving the highest aesthetic excellence to narrate the emotional nearness of the mentally retarted. |||
| Best Feature Film in Telugu | Matti Manushulu | Producer: K. Mukherjee and Veda Kumar | ₹ 20,000/- |
| Best Feature Film in Telugu | Matti Manushulu | Director: B. Narsing Rao | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For portraying the stark reality of pain which has been underlined with the warm hues of life. |||
Best Feature Film in Each of the Language Other Than Those Specified in the Schedule VIII of the Constitution
| Name of Award | Name of Film | Awardee(s) | Cash Prize |
| Best Feature Film in Manipuri | Ishanou | Producer: Aribam Syam Sharma | ₹ 20,000/- |
| Best Feature Film in Manipuri | Ishanou | Director: Aribam Syam Sharma | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For effectively portraying the tragedy behind the institution of Maibi which unfortunately shatters a family. |||

### 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 S. Krishnaswamy was appointed to evaluate the non-feature films awards. Following were the jury members:
* Jury Members
** S. Krishnaswamy (Chairperson) • Madan Bawaria • Pramod Mathur • Vijaya Nirmala • Swapan Ghose

#### 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 | Graven Image | English | Producer: Sumitendra Nath Tagore and Shyamasree Tagore Director: Abhijit Chattopadhyay | ₹ 15,000/- Each |
| Citation: For combining the intimate portrayal of a sculptor in terms of biographical detail, bringing in the nuances of his art, summing up to an excellent portrait of a person, an artist, a period, and achieing this with high cinematic values. ||||

#### 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 | Lolaab | English | Producer: Hillman Film Pvt. Ltd Director: Mohi-Ud-Din Mirza | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For dedication and conviction with which life in a remote area of the land has been portrayed, with intimacy, sympathy, authenticity and without being condescending, and for the apparent hard work that has gone into the production. ||||
| Best Biographical Film | Baba | English | Producer: Mediart Film Pvt. Ltd Director: Rajiv Mehrotra | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For the relaxed and sensitive portrayal of an extraordinary man of our times, bubbling with humanity, portraying the social causes for which Baba Amte has dedicated life, with a sense of deep involvement, never descending to eulogising. ||||
| Best Arts / Cultural Film | Figures of Thought | English | Producer: Arun Khopkar Director: Arun Khopkar | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For exceptionally beautiful portrayal of the work of three painters, with verve, and unpretentious, but excellent visuals. ||||
| Best Arts / Cultural Film | Vaastu Marabu | English | Producer: Min Bimbangal Director: Bala Kailasam | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For portraying the philosophy of traditional "Shilpi", transcending the physical form of the sculpture, exploring the collective unconscious of Indian sculptors. ||||
| Best Scientific Film (including Environment and Ecology) | Biotechnology: Some Possibilities | English | Producer: Gul Bahar Singh for Films Division Director: Nishith Banerjee | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For trading through new horizons of the futuristic, yet scientifically realisable possibilities at the threshold of a new era, with technical finesse. ||||
| Best Agricultural Film | Golden Earth | English | Producer: BAIF Development Research Foundation Director: Vishram Revankar | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For effective communication of the techniques of soil and water conservation, in a simple manner, without being simplistic with the medium. ||||
| Best Environment / Conservation / Preservation Film | Pratikriya | Desiya | Producer: Rahat Yusufi Director: Rahat Yusufi | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For dealing with the problem of the environment at the grassroots level, combining the talent to handle ordinary people and get excellent performances out of them, with a clarity of message and commitment to the cause. ||||
| Best Film on Social Issues | Safe Drinking Water for All | English | Producer: R. Krishna Mohan for Films Division Director: Mahesh P. Sinha | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For effectively portraying the fundamental problem of drinking water and the steps being taken to solve the problem, without descending to propaganda. ||||
| Best Educational / Motivational / Instructional Film | Ducks Out of Water | English | Producer: D. Gautaman Director: Raj Gopal Rao | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For beautiful imagery, elevating a routine theme to levels of aesthetic excellence. ||||
| Best Educational / Motivational / Instructional Film | Natun Asha | Assamese | Producer: Beauty Sabhapandit Director: Arup Borthakur | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For being an instructional film in which form and content compete for excellence. ||||
| Best Exploration / Adventure Film (including Sports) | Indigenous Games of Manipur | English | Producer: Aribam Syam Sharma Director: Aribam Syam Sharma | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For sharing the primordial joys of spontaneous sports, tracing some historic links between the traditional sports of Manipur and the world at large. ||||
| Best Investigative Film | Una Mitran Di Yaad Pyaari (In Memory of Friends) | English, Hindi and Punjabi | Producer: Anand Patwardhan Director: Anand Patwardhan | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For the ardent pursuit of truth in an explosive contemporary atmosphere, with objectivity, courage and lucidity. ||||
| Best Short Fiction Film | Aamukh | Hindi | Producer: Film and Television Institute of India Director: Rajkumar | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For being a forceful statement of the personal rights of a woman through the emotional impact of one incident in which she rises against a social taboo. ||||
| Best Cinematography | Mohiniyattam | English | Cameraman: Santosh Sivan Laboratory Processing: Prasad Film Laboratories | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For evocative, lyrical beauty with which the camera has painted the dancer and her milieu. ||||
| Best Cinematography | Where No Journeys End | English | Cameraman: Victor Banerjee Laboratory Processing: Chitranjali Laboratories | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For the dramatic manner in which the Indian landscape unfolds, seducing the viewer with timeless beauty of India. ||||
| Best Audiography | Mohor | Bengali | Sujit Sarkar | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For preserving the aura of Gurudev's presence by transporting the audience through the years in the flowering of Rabindra Sangeet, embellishing the performance of the great singer Kanika Bandopadhyay. ||||
| Best Editing | Mohiniyattam | English | Rajasekharan | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For making use of the full potential of the dimensions of space and time with creative excellence. ||||
| Special Jury Award | Ustad Amjad Ali Khan | Hindi | Gulzar (director) | ₹ 10,000/- |
| Citation: For bringing out the essence of a man and his music, emphassising the qualities of an artiste being distinct, but not distant from the people, as part of an unbroken tradition. ||||
| Special Mention | Technique of Seed Production in Wheat and Paddy | English | Raj Gopal Rao (Director) | Certificate Only |
| Certificate Only |||
| Special Mention | Cactus and Roses | English | Siddharth Kak (Director) | Certificate Only |
| Certificate Only |||
| Special Mention | Aadhi Haqueeqat Aadha Fasana | Hindi | Dilip Ghose (Director) | Certificate Only |
| Certificate Only |||
| Special Mention | Sambandh | Hindi | Naresh Saxena (Director) | Certificate Only |
| 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.

#### Juries

A committee headed by Amita Malik was appointed to evaluate the writing on Indian cinema. Following were the jury members:
* Jury Members
** Amita Malik (Chairperson) • Vinod Bhardwaj • Punathil Kunjabdulla

#### 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 | Hindi Cinema Ka Itihaas | Hindi | Author: Manmohan Chadhha Publisher: Sachin Prakashan | ₹ 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For placing the development of Hindi Cinema in the context of the totality of Indian Cinema and World Cinema, while giving due importance to research. ||||

#### 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 | Bengali | Shoma A. Chatterjee | ₹ 5,000/- |
| Citation: For managing admirably to get away from routine and the beaten track. She has covered an astonishing range of subjects in the articles submitted. Whether it is an interview, a critique or analysis of an unusual subject, she has combined depth with elegance. ||||

### Awards not given

Following were the awards not given as no film was found to be suitable for the award:
* Best Children's Film
* Best Feature Film on National Integration
* Best Film on Family Welfare
* Best Film on Environment Conservation / Preservation
* Best Feature Film in English
* Best Feature Film in Marathi
* Best Feature Film in Oriya
* Best Feature Film in Punjabi
* Best Promotional Film
* Best Historical Reconstruction / Compilation Film
* Best Non-Feature Film on Family Welfare
* Best Animation Film
* Best First Non-Feature Film
* Best Non-Feature Film Direction