I find that 2025 wasn’t just another year for Indian honors; it was a reset in the world of Cinema. I was reviewing this year’s National Awards 2025 list, and it cut through the noise, spotlighting genuine impact and, finally, putting overdue legends on the podium. Here’s what actually happened and why it matters.
Author: Alwyn Abishek J
Post updated: 2nd August 2025
Film Awards That Got People Talking
First, the film scene. The 71st National Film Awards covered movies released in 2023. For once, the headlines matched the ground reality.
Best Feature Film:
It is best at the front. 12th Fail took the top spot. Not a mega-budget spectacle. Not star-driven fluff. A grounded, bold film about determination and the raw struggle to make it in India. Vidhu Vinod Chopra produced a story that people really cared about. I saw a lot of Critics loved it in the beginning. Audiences also loved it based on the reviews received on Google. The message: If your film has substance, the jury is watching.
Best Actor:
Two winners, both deserved.
- Shah Rukh Khan (Jawan)—finally, after decades and box office records, he gets a National Award. Mainstream is not mindless.
- Vikrant Massey (12th Fail)—proof that strong scripts and real acting will work in the movie atmosphere. Massey didn’t just perform; he made you truly feel the struggle in the story.
Best Actress:
Rani Mukerji for Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway. No gimmicks, no over-acting—just a punch-in-the-gut performance about a mother’s fight for her child. Long overdue, totally earned.
Other Standouts:
- Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani—Best Popular Film, Karan Johar’s comeback with a crowd-pleaser that didn’t talk down to its audience.
- Sudipto Sen’s The Kerala Story—Best Director, proof that tough subjects can win, not just safe ones.
- Regional films like Kathal (Hindi), Parking (Tamil), Bhagavanth Kesari (Telugu), and Vash (Gujarati) showed that language is no barrier when the story is real.
If you want the full winners list, here’s the point: these awards weren’t about big banners or PR stunts. They were about films that landed with both critics and regular people. About time.
Padma Awards: India’s Civil Honors Hit the Mark
Every Republic Day, India hands out the Padma Awards. Too often, it’s the usual faces. But this year, there were surprises—and real changemakers cut.
- Padma Vibhushan (the big one):
- Duvvur Nageshwar Reddy—changing medicine, not chasing headlines.
- Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar—legal mind, plain speaking.
- Kumudini Lakhia—redefining Indian dance.
- Lakshminarayana Subramaniam—music legend.
- M. T. Vasudevan Nair (posthumous)—literature that outlives its writer.
- Padma Shri standouts:
- Jagadish Joshila—kept a dying language alive.
- Gokul Chandra Das—made sure folk percussion wasn’t just for men.
- Durga Charan Ranbir—Odissi dance, straight from the roots.
- Soniya Nityanand—cutting-edge medicine in a broken system.
- Bhim Singh Bhavesh—journalism for the people nobody talks about.
It’s not perfect—no award list ever is. But this year, there was less noise, more impact.
Why It Matters
A country’s awards tell you what it values. This year, India’s National Awards signaled a shift:
- Stories matter more than stardom.
- Social change counts for something.
- Real work—on screen and off—doesn’t go unnoticed forever.
The message is pretty simple: when you give your best effort, there’s definitely someone noticing! But if you’re just going through the motions, those old shortcuts won’t get you anywhere. Keep pushing, and remember that your hard work doesn’t go unnoticed!
