The 20th Filmfare Awards were held in 1973, awarding the films released in 1972.
Amar Prem and Be-Imaan led the ceremony with 8 nominations, followed by Shor with 7 nominations and Pakeezah with 5 nominations.
Be-Imaan won 7 awards, including Best Film, Best Director (for Sohanlal Kanwar), Best Actor (for Manoj Kumar) and Best Supporting Actor (for Pran), thus becoming the most-awarded film at the ceremony.
Rajesh Khanna received dual nominations for Best Actor for his performances in Amar Prem and Dushmun, but lost to Manoj Kumar who won the award for Be-Imaan.
At the ceremony, Meena Kumari earned a then record-setting twelfth and final nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for her performance in the period musical romantic drama Pakeezah after her death in March 1972. Despite being highly favored to win the award, she controversially lost the award to Hema Malini who won her first and only award in the category for her comic dual role in the comedy-drama Seeta Aur Geeta.
Pran, who won Best Supporting Actor for Be-Imaan, refused to accept the award, on the grounds that the Best Music Director award should have gone to Ghulam Mohammed for Pakeezah, and not Shankar-Jaikishan for Be-Imaan.
Main Awards
Best Film Be-Imaan Anubhav Pakeezah
Best Director Sohanlal Kanwar – Be-Imaan Kamal Amrohi – Pakeezah Manoj Kumar – Shor
Best Actor Manoj Kumar – Be-Imaan Rajesh Khanna – Amar Prem Rajesh Khanna – Dushmun
Best Actress Hema Malini – Seeta Aur Geeta Meena Kumari – Pakeezah Raakhee – Aankhon Aankhon Mein
Best Supporting Actor Pran – Be-Imaan Premnath – Shor
Best Supporting Actress Zeenat Aman – Hare Rama Hare Krishna Bindu – Dastaan Nazima – Be-Imaan
Best Comic Actor Paintal – Bawarchi Jagdeep – Bhai Ho To Aisa Mehmood – Bombay To Goa
Best Story Anubhav – Basu Chatterjee Shor – Manoj Kumar
Best Screenplay Amar Prem – Arabinda Mukhopadhyay
Best Dialogue Amar Prem – Ramesh Pant
Best Music Director Be-Imaan – Shankar–Jaikishan Amar Prem – R. D. Burman Pakeezah – Ghulam Mohammed Shor – Laxmikant–Pyarelal
Best Lyricist Be-Imaan – Verma Malik for Jai Bolo Be-Imaan Ki Amar Prem – Anand Bakshi for Chingari Koi Bhadke Shor – Santosh Anand for Ek Pyaar Ka Nagma Hai
Best Playback Singer, Male Be-Imaan – Mukesh for Jai Bolo Be-Imaan Ki Amar Prem – Kishore Kumar for Chingari Koi Bhadke Shor – Mukesh for Ek Pyaar Ka Nagma Hai
Best Playback Singer, Female Hare Rama Hare Krishna – Asha Bhosle for Dum Maro Dum Lal Patthar – Asha Bhosle for Suni Suni Lalkaar – Asha Bhosle for Maine Kahan Na Na Na
Best Art Direction Pakeezah
Best Cinematography Seeta Aur Geeta
Best Editing Shor
Best Sound Amar Prem
Critics' awards Best Film Maya Darpan
Best Documentary Nine Months to Freedom
Controversy Meena Kumari not winning an award for her performance in Pakeezah stirred controversy at the 20th Filmfare Awards. Filmfare, however, defended their decision by stating that according to their rules, posthumous awards were not allowed then; Filmfare editor B. K. Karanjia said both Ghulam Mohammad (the music director of Pakeezah) and Josef Wirsching (cinematographer) lost for the same reason.
Years later, in an interview, veteran actress Rakhee Gulzar revealed that initially she was offered the award for Best actress which she declined, as she considered her performance to be mediocre as earlier, she was devoid of the award for her performance in Sharmilee.
Biggest Winners Be-Imaan – 7/8 Amar Prem – 3/8 Seeta Aur Geeta – 2/2 Hare Rama Hare Krishna – 2/2 Shor – 1/7 Pakeezah – 1/5
See also 22nd Filmfare Awards 21st Filmfare Awards Filmfare Awards
References
https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000245/1973/