Kangana Ranaut won the best actress award for her powerful performance in "Queen" at the 62nd National Film Awards where Bollywood movies "Haider" and "Mary Kom" bagged key honours while Chaitanya Tamhane's "Court" was named the best feature film.
Ranaut, 28, who celebrated her birthday yesterday, got a belated present by winning her career's second National award in the movie about a girl who goes on a foreign honeymoon alone after being ditched by her fiance just before marriage. She had won her first National award, as best supporting actress, for "Fashion" in 2010.
The Vikas Bahl-directed coming-of-age film was also named the best Hindi feature film.
Vijay was declared the best actor for his poignant portrayal of a woman trapped in a man's body in Kannada film "Nanu Avanalla Avalu" (I am not a he, but she).
"Court", which focuses on the flaws in the Indian judicial system, has been winning critical acclaim nationally and internationally. The award is expected to give a major boost to the movie ahead of its theatrical release on April 17.
Shahid Kapoor-starrer "Haider", a Kashmir-set modern adaptation of Shakespeare's Hamlet, won five honours. Its helmer Vishal Bhardwaj was named the best music director but lost out the best director award to Bengali filmmaker Srijit Mukherji ('Chotushkone').
Bhardwaj was also named for best dialogues in the movie while Sukhwinder Singh clinched the best male playback singer for the song "Bismil". Its other two wins were in the categories of choreography and costume design.
"Chotushkone", a film about four directors' attempt to make four short stories, won two more awards -- best cinematography and screenplay (original).
Priyanka Chopra-led biopic "Mary Kom" was named the best popular film providing wholesome entertainment.
While best songs in the music direction category went to Bhardwaj, the background score honour was won by Gopi Sunder for Malayalam film "Nineteen Eighty Three".
Best lyrics award went to NA Muthukumar for Tamil film "Saivam" whose singer Uttara Unnikrishanan won the best female playback singer honour for her song 'Azhagu'.
Tamil actor Bobby Simhaa won the best supporting actor trophy for "Jigarthanda" whose second win was in the best editing category.
Best supporting actress went to Haryanavi actress Bajinder Kaur. It is a first National award for a Haryanavi actress.
Indira Gandhi award for best debut film of a director went to Aditya Vikram Sengupta for his Bengali movie "Asha Jaoar Majhe". It also won the best sound designer trophy while "Nirbashito" won the re-recordist of the final mixed track.
"Chotoder Chobi", Kaushik Ganguly's tale on dwarfs, was declared best film on social issues for its empathetic portrayal of marginalised people's struggle for a life of dignity.
Best children's film was shared by Tamil movie "Kaakkaa Muttai" and Marathi drama "Elizabeth Ekadashi". "Muttai" actors J Vignesh and Ramesh shared the best child artist honour.
The best film on environment conservation/preservation went to Malayalam movie "Ottaal" which also won adapted screenplay writer trophy.
Special jury awards went to Marathi film "Khwada", directed by Bhaurao Karhade which also won the location sound recordist honour.
"Nanu Avanalla Avalu" also won in the best make-up artist category. Konkani film "Nachom-IA Kumpasar" won the best production design award.
The 62nd National Film Awards 2014 were announced today by the chairpersons of the three juries on feature films, non feature films and best writing on cinema. The feature film central panel, was headed by Tamil filmmaker P Bharathiraja and included 10 other members. The non-feature jury was headed by Kamal Swarup.
Prior to the announcement of the awards, the chairpersons of the three juries and members of the jury presented their reports to I&B minister Arun Jaitley.
There were 320 entries in feature film categories while non-feature film list had 171 entries.
The National Film Awards are likely to be given by President Pranab Mukherjee on May 3 along with the Dada Saheb Phalke award which will go to actor filmmaker Shashi Kapoor this year, an official said here.
The wins in the best languagae categories included best Assamese film "Othello", best Bengali film "Nirbashito", best Hindi film "Queen", best Kannada film "Harivu", best Konkani film "Nachom – IA Kumpasar", best Malayalam film "Ain", best Marathi film "Killa", best Odiya film "Aadim Vichar", best Punjabi film "Punjab 1984", best Tamil film "Kuttram Kadithal", best Telugu film "Chandamama Kathalu", best Haryanavi film "Pagdi The Honour", best Rabha film "Orong", a first for the language.
In the non feature film category "Tender is the sight" was awarded best non feature film for its sensitive and lyrical portrayal of ten-year-old child who though visually challenged creates a symphony of sounds.
"Goonga Pahalwan" bagged the Best Debut film of a director for Mit Jani, Prateek Gupta and Vivek Chaudhary in this category while "Qissa-e-Parsi : The Parsi Story" won the Best Anthropological/Ethnographic Film.
In the Non Feature Film category, there were in all 171 entries, in 23 different languages.
In other categories - Best Biographical or Historical Reconstruction, "Aamaar Katha : Story of Binodini" won the award while "Kapila" (Best Arts/ Cultural film), "Documentation of Clay image makers of Kamartuli" (Best Promotional Film), "I Cannot Give You my Forest" (Best Environment Film), "Can't Take This Shit Anymore" (Best film on Social Issues) also bagged awards.
"Komal" and "Behind the Glass Wall" (Best Educational Film), "Life Force - India's Western Ghats" (Best Exploration/Adventure Film), "Phum Shang" (Best Investigative Film), "Sound of Joy" (Best Animation Film), "A Poet, A city and a Footballer" (Special Jury Award), "Mitraa" (Best Short Fiction Film), "Towards the Silver Lining" (Best Film on Family Values), Aaranyak (Best Direction) also won awards in the Non Feature Film Category.
"Aamaar Katha : Story of Binodini" (Best Cinematography), "Tender is the sight" (Best Audiography), "Tigress Blood" (Best Editing) and "Nitya Kalyani-Oru Mohiniattam Patham" (Best Narration/Voice Over) were the other winners in the Non Feature Film Category.
"Silent Cinema" author Pasupuleti Purnachandra Rao won the best book in cinema award while special mention went to "Pride of Tamil Cinema" author G Dhananjayan.
Best film critic award went to Tanul Thakur.
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