Ahead of the official ceremony, to be held on May 3rd, the awards to India’s 63rd National film awards were announced. The big winner of the night was the historical Bollywood drama ‘Bajirao Mastani,’ taking home five awards, while at the top of the list and winning best of the year is ‘Baahubali.’
Also winning for special effects, “Baahubali,’ which translates to ‘The One With Strong Arms,’ had been one of the highest grossing films of last year; raking in an estimated $89 million.
Icon of Bollywood film, Amitabh Bachan won the best actor award for his rendition of a grumpy old father in ‘Piku.’ The pictures was produced by Sony Television Entertainment’s film unit, MSM Motion Pictures.
Here is a complete list of the 2016 National Film Awards winners:
Best Film – ‘Baahubali’
Best Director – Sanjay Leela Bhansali for ‘Bajirao Mastani’
Best Actor – Amitabh Bachchan for ‘Piku’
Best Actress – Kangana Ranaut for ‘Tanu Weds Manu Returns’
Best Cinematography – Saudeep Chatterjee for ‘Bajirao Mastani’
Best Choreography – Remo D’Souza for ‘Bajirao Mastani’
Best Special Effects – ‘Baahubali’
Best Production Design – Saloni Dhatrak, Sriram Iyengar, Sujeet Sawant for ‘Bajirao Mastani’
Best Debut Director – Neeraj Ghaywan for ‘Masaan’
Special Jury Prize – Kalki Koechlin for ‘Margarita with a Straw’
India’s NFAs will be presented at the official ceremony, May 3rd in New Delhi with President Pranab Mukherjee in attendance.