President Droupadi Murmu presents the Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2023 to actor Waheeda Rehman during the 69th National Film Awards at Vigyan Bhavan, . File
| Photo Credit: SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA
The ‘Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director’ and the ‘Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration’ which are part of the National Film Awards have been renamed on the recommendation of the Committee for Rationalization of Film Awards. The cash that goes with prizes in all categories has been increased significantly. The Dadasaheb Phalke Award has increased from ₹ 10 lakh to ₹ 15 lakh.
In a report, adopted by the Information & Broadcasting Ministry, the committee constituted under the chairmanship of the Additional Secretary (I&B) made several recommendations. Accordingly, changes have been incorporated in the 70th National Film Awards (2022) Regulations.
The committee recommended that the ‘Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director’ be renamed as ‘Best Debut Film of a Director”, and the award money be increased to ₹ 3 lakh.
Revamp of names
It also recommended that the ‘Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration’, which carries a Rajat Kamal to the director and the producer with ₹ 1.5 lakh each, be clubbed with ‘Best Film on Social Issues (Rajat Kamal to director and producer with ₹ 1.5 lakh each) and Best Film on Environment Conservation/Preservation (Rajat Kamal to director and producer with ₹ 1.5 lakh each); and be renamed as ‘Best Feature Film Promoting National, Social and Environmental Values’ (Rajat Kamal to director and producer with ₹ 2 lakh each).
The Best Animation Film and the Best Special Effects categories have been clubbed under a new category of Best AVGC Film. The awards for Best Film in AVGC are: Best Animation Film (Swarna Kamal to director, producer and animator/animation director/designer/supervisor with ₹ 3 lakh each); and Best Visual Effects Best VFX (Rajat Kamal to supervisor and ₹ 2 lakh).
The Best Actor award (Rajat Kamal with ₹ 50,000) has been renamed as ‘Best Actor in a Leading Role’ (Rajat Kamal and ₹ 2 lakh); and the Best Actress (Rajat Kamal with ₹ 50,000) to ‘Best Actress in a Leading Role’ (Rajat Kamal with ₹ 2 lakh). As recommended, the Best Supporting Actor award (Rajat Kamal with ₹ 50,000) has been titled ‘Best Actor in Supporting Role’ (Rajat Kamal with ₹ 2 lakh) and the Best Supporting Actress award to ‘Best Actress in a Supporting Role’ (Rajat Kamal with ₹ 2 lakh).
Under the Best Audiography category, the three sub-categories of Location Sync Sound Recordist (for sync sound only), Sound Designer, and Recordist of the Final Mixed Track have been clubbed and renamed as ‘Best Sound Design’ (Rajat Kamal with ₹ 2 lakh to sound designer). The sub-categories of Best Music Director (Background Music) and the Best Music Director (Background Score) have been clubbed as ‘Music Director (Background Music)‘ (Rajat Kamal with ₹ 2 lakh).
The award for ‘Best Feature Film in each of the language specified in the Schedule VIII of the Constitution’ has been renamed as ‘Best (name of the language) Feature Film’, and the award money doubled to ₹ 2 lakh each. Similar changes have been made to the ‘Feature Film in each of the languages other than those specified in Schedule VIII of the Constitution’ category.
The committee had also recommended that only one award be given in each category. Shared awards may be given only under exceptional circumstances to maintain the prestige of the awards. “…it was felt that a uniform cash award for the Swarna Kamal winner may be kept at ₹ 3,00,000 and for the Rajat Kamal winner may be kept at ₹ 2,00,000,” it said, also listing several others recommendations related to the feature and non-feature film categories.
