New Delhi, February 14: The National Film Awards have experienced a major transformation, with prestigious categories receiving new names and cash rewards seeing an increase. Renaming of awards previously dedicated to Nargis Dutt and Indira Gandhi is among the notable changes brought forth. These modifications, along with a boost in prize money, were part of recommendations put forward by a committee led by Neerja Sekhar.
The ‘Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film’ and the ‘Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration’ have been rebranded following the committee’s proposals. The decision to rename these awards was made by a committee formed by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry during the pandemic, with Neerja Sekhar at the helm. The committee’s recommendations were unanimously approved, signifying a significant shift in the landscape of the National Film Awards.
Filmmaker Priyadarshan, a member of the committee, finalized recommendations in December, emphasizing technical aspects such as sound quality. Entries for the 2022 National Awards closed on January 30, a delay attributed to the pandemic-induced challenges.
The committee’s suggestions led to the renaming of the ‘Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director’ to simply ‘Best Debut Film of a Director.’ Furthermore, the prize money, previously shared between the producer and director, will now solely go to the director.
Similarly, the ‘Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration’ has been transformed into the ‘Best Feature Film Promoting National, Social, and Environmental Values.’ This alteration consolidates awards for social issues and environmental conservation into a single category.
In addition to renaming categories, the cash prize for the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award has been increased from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 15 lakh. Moreover, the prize money for Swarn Kamal and Rajat Kamal winners has been raised to Rs 3 lakh and Rs 2 lakh, respectively, standardizing the rewards across categories. Notable changes also include the amalgamation of the awards for ‘Best Animation Film’ and ‘Best Special Effects’ into the new category ‘Best AVGC Film,’ featuring two sub-categories.
The ‘Best Audiography’ category has undergone a name change to ‘Best Sound Design,’ accompanied by an increased prize of Rs 2 lakh. Further adjustments include renaming the ‘Best Music Direction’ category to ‘Best Background Music.’ While the special jury award has been discontinued, the jury may still give two special mentions in both feature and non-feature film categories.
In the non-feature film category, certain segments have been merged while others have been discontinued altogether. A new category for ‘Best Script’ has been introduced, aiming to recognize excellence in screenplay writing. Additionally, segments focusing on various themes such as anthropology, science, technology, and social issues have been consolidated into ‘Best Documentary’ and ‘Best Non-Feature Film Promoting Social and Environmental Issues.’ Awards for ‘Best Film on Family Values’ and special jury awards have been discontinued in this category, reflecting the evolving landscape of Indian cinema.
Also Read: Seema Biswas Wins Best Actress Award at Edinburgh Fest for ‘Sir Madam Sarpanch’
