The 53rd 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 2005.
The selection process of 53rd National Film Awards began with the constitution of three Juries for feature film, non-feature film and best writing on cinema sections, which were declared on 28 July 2006. B. Saroja Devi, an yesteryear's actress, headed the feature film Jury, which had eleven other members. A documentary maker and Indian television personality Siddharth Kak headed the six-member non-feature film Jury. The Jury for best writing on cinema was headed by veteran film critic Khalid Mohamed.
The final announcement of awards was much delayed due to various controversies associated with them. Actual announcement was done almost after the 14th months of its expected announcement, after Delhi High Court gave green signal to announce the awards in all categories. Awards were scheduled to be declared on 12 May 2006.
Awards were announced by each committee chairpersons on 7 August 2007 and ceremony took place at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi on 14 September 2007 and awards were given President of India, Pratibha Patil. It was also announced that prize money would be increased by five times and more categories would be added from next year.
Awards
Awards were divided into feature films, non-feature films and books written on Indian cinema.
Lifetime Achievement Award
Name of AwardImageAwardee(s)Awarded AsAwardsDadasaheb Phalke AwardShyam BenegalDirectorSwarna Kamal, 2,00,000 and a Shawl
Feature films
Feature films were awarded at All India as well as regional level. For 53rd National Film Awards, a Bengali film, Kaalpurush won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film; whereas a Hindi film, Rang De Basanti, won the maximum number of awards (4). Following were the awards given in each category:
Juries
A committee headed by B. Saroja Devi was appointed to evaluate the feature films awards. Following were the jury members:
Jury Members B. Saroja Devi (Chairperson)P. H. VishwanathKatte RamachandraB. S. LoknathSeema BiswasP. Sudershan ShyamaprasadShyamali Deb BanerjeeMeena DebbarmaAnwar AliIna PuriAshok Saran
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 AwardName of FilmLanguageAwardee(s)Cash prizeBest Feature FilmKaalpurush - Memories In The MistBengaliProducer: Jhamu SughandDirector: Buddhadeb Dasgupta 50,000/- EachCitation: For a rare lyrical style and a unique cohesion of narrative structure and characters that allow it to flow on different planes.Best Debut Film of A DirectorParineetaHindiProducer: Vidhu Vinod ChopraDirector: Pradeep Sarkar 25,000/- EachCitation: For the competent directorial style to recreate a classic novel with modern cinematic sensibilities.Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome EntertainmentRang De BasantiHindiProducer: UTV Motion Pictures and Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra Pictures (P) Ltd. Director: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra 20,000/- EachCitation: For invoking a touching tale of love highlighting the importance of human relationship above man-made boundaries.ShubhodrishtiBengaliProducer: Rajshri Productions and Shree Venkatesh FilmsDirector: Prabhat Roy 20,000/- EachCitation: For invoking nostalgia in a manner that is powerful yet poetic.Best Children's FilmThe Blue UmbrellaHindiProducer: UTV Motion PicturesDirector: Vishal Bhardwaj 30,000/- EachCitation: For its poetic and visually stunning interpretation of a story highlighting the values of selflessness and compassion.Best DirectionParzaniaEnglishRahul Dholakia 50,000/-Citation: For the compelling documentation of contemporary human lives trapped in difficult times of communal hatred and violence.
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 AwardName of FilmLanguageAwardee(s)Cash prizeBest Feature Film on National IntegrationDaivanamathilMalayalamProducer: Aryadan ShoukathDirector: Jayaraj 30,000/- EachCitation: For the powerful representation of a burning communal issue highlighting the plight of women in the times of religious intolerence.Best Film on Family WelfareThavamai ThavamirundhuTamilProducer: P. ShanmugamDirector: Cheran 30,000/- EachCitation: For the evocative portrayal of a family caught in trials and tribulations in a simple narrative style.Best Film on Other Social IssuesIqbalHindiProducer: Subhash GhaiDirector: Nagesh Kukunoor 30,000/- EachCitation: For its inspiring and cinematically energetic portrayal of a hearing impaired in his aspiration to become a champion cricketer.Best Film on Environment / Conservation / PreservationThutturiKannadaProducer: Jaimala RamchandraDirector: P. Sheshadri 30,000/- EachCitation: For its imaginative portrayal of a group of young children who fight to preserve a healthy urban environment.Best ActorBlackHindiEnglishAmitabh Bachchan 10,000/-Citation: For his dramatic rendition of reformed alcoholic who struggles to give a physically handicapped child a new life.Best ActressParzaniaEnglishSarika 10,000/-Citation: For her rendition of a crusading mother who fights for justice against all a diversity in a communally charged environment.Best Supporting ActorIqbalHindiNaseeruddin Shah 10,000/-Citation: For his competent depiction of an endearing man who finds it difficult to give up his addiction to alcohol but still emerges vicarious as his protégé the young village lad conquers his dream.Best Supporting ActressAchuvinte AmmaMalayalamUrvashi 10,000/-Citation: For the highly credible performance of a brave woman who pledges her life and love for an adopted child.Best Child ArtistBommalata – A Bellyful of DreamsTeluguSai Kumar 10,000/-Citation: For his haunting performance as a child who realises his burning desire to access school education.Best Male Playback SingerRang De BasantiHindiNaresh Iyer 10,000/-Citation: For his melodious rendering of a lilting song that adds exuberance to the film.Best Female Playback SingerPaheliHindiShreya Ghoshal 10,000/-Citation: For her evocative rendition of a song that treads the fine balance between the classical and popular genre of Hindi film music.Best CinematographySringaramTamilCameraman: Madhu AmbatLaboratory Processing: Prasad Film Laboratories 10,000/- EachCitation: For the technical brilliance which is evident in the framing, lighting and execution throughout the film.Best ScreenplayApaharanHindiPrakash JhaShridhar RaghavanManoj Tyagi 10,000/-Citation: For creating a crisp screenplay that is riveting and renders pace to the entire film.Best AudiographyRang De BasantiHindiNakul Kamte 10,000/-Citation: For creating a vibrant sound design that effectively supports the graph of the film.Best EditingRang De BasantiHindiP. S. Bharati 10,000/-Citation: For creating a commendable pace and multi-layered visual design that heightens the impact of the film.Best Art DirectionTaj Mahal: An Eternal Love StoryHindiC. B. More 10,000/-Citation: For effectively recreating the mughal period and rendering life to an era.Best Costume DesignTaj Mahal: An Eternal Love StoryHindiAnna Singh 5,000/- EachCitation: For creating costumes true to the spirit of a period film.BlackHindi and EnglishSabyasachi MukherjeeCitation: For his imaginative creations that enhanced the mood and added to ambience of the film.Best Music DirectionSringaramTamilLalgudi Jayaraman 10,000/-Citation: For bringing alive an era of great musical and dance tradition through the deft use of Indian musical instruments.Best LyricsThaayiKannadaBaraguru Ramachandrappa 10,000/-Citation: For the lyric "Barutheve Naav Barutheve" in the Kannada film Thaayi which heightened the effect of the entire film.Best Special EffectsAnniyanTamilTata Elxsi 10,000/-Citation: For highly imaginative and creative special effects that lift the style of the film.Best ChoreographySringaramTamilSaroj Khan 10,000/-Citation: For authentic recreation of the devdasi tradition that has been brought out with immense grace and beauty.Special Jury AwardMaine Gandhi Ko Nahin MaraHindiAnupam Kher (Actor) 25,000/-Citation: For an outstanding performance in the film that brings alive the plight of an Alzheimer's patient who is alienated from the real world.
Regional Awards
The award is given to best film in the regional languages in India.
Name of AwardName of FilmAwardee(s)Cash prizeBest Feature Film in AssameseKadamtole Krishna NacheProducer: Suman HaripriyaDirector: Suman Haripriya 20,000/- EachCitation: For its attempt at preserving the dying culture and traditions of Assam.Best Feature Film in BengaliHerbertProducer: Kajal Bhattacharya and Abanti ChakrabortyDirector: Suman Mukhopadhyay 20,000/- EachCitation: For a refreshingly cinematic idiom as the protagonist of this urban existential tragicomedy veers between the real and the surreal.Best Feature Film in HindiBlackProducer: Anshuman Swami and Sanjay Leela BhansaliDirector: Sanjay Leela Bhansali 20,000/- EachCitation: For a stylised and visually vibrant tale of a physically challenged child who learns to live and become an achiever against insurmountable odds.Best Feature Film in KannadaThaayiProducer: Prameela JoshaiDirector: Baraguru Ramachandrappa 20,000/- EachCitation: For its contemporary interpretation of Maxim Gorky's classic novel against injustice and oppression.Best Feature Film in MalayalamThanmathraProducer: Century FilmsDirector: Blessy 20,000/- EachCitation: For the moving depiction of a middle – class family which struggles to lead a dignified life in the face of the house holder's gradual loss of memory.Best Feature Film in MarathiDombivali FastProducer: Ramakant GaikwadDirector: Nishikant Kamat 20,000/- EachCitation: For its portrayal of an urban middle class man who breaks down under tremendous stress and pressures of life in a corrupt modern city.Best Feature Film in OdiaKathantaraProducer: Iti SamantaDirector: Himanshu Khatua 20,000/- EachCitation: For seeking to re-establish Indian family values in the modern day situation.Best Feature Film in PunjabiBaghiProducer: Gaj DeolDirector: Sukhminder Dhanjal 20,000/- EachCitation: For graphically delineating the caste divide in modern day Punjab.Best Feature Film in TamilAadum KoothuProducer: Light and Shadow Movie MakersDirector: T. V. Chandran 20,000/- EachCitation: For its imaginative portrayal of a young girl who travels between past and present time zones.Best Feature Film in TeluguBommalata - A Bellyful Of DreamsProducer: K. Raghavendra RaoRana Daggubati Director: Prakash Kovelamudi 20,000/- EachCitation: For cinematically vibrant rendition of the story of an underprivileged through the medium of puppetry and magic.
Best Feature Film in Each of the Language Other Than Those Specified In the Schedule VIII of the Constitution
Name of AwardName of FilmAwardee(s)Cash prizeBest Feature Film in BhojpuriKab Hoi Gawna HamarProducer: Deepa NarayanDirector: Anand D. Ghatraj 20,000/- EachCitation: For a family drama that harks back to traditional values and modern day sensibilities.Best Feature Film in English15 Park AvenueProducer: Bipin Kumar VohraDirector: Aparna Sen 20,000/- EachCitation: For its effective and intense portrayal of a schizophrenic girl who seeks a dream world that may or may not even exist.Best Feature Film in MonpaSonamProducer: Garima FilmsDirector: Ahsan Muzid 20,000/- EachCitation: For picturesque effective portrayal of the contemporary tribal life.
Non-Feature Films
Films made in any Indian language shot on 16 mm, 35 mm or in a wider gauge or digital format and released on either film format or video/digital but certified by the Central Board of Film Certification as a documentary/newsreel/fiction are eligible for non-feature film section.