Film Awards – Complete GK Capsule for Railway Exams

“Cinema is a mirror of society; awards are the reflection of its best.”
– Expected MCQ framing style

1. National Film Awards (India) – The Official Honours

• Instituted: 1954 (First awards for 1953 releases)
• Administered by: Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF), Ministry of I&B, Govt. of India
• First President’s Gold Medal (now Best Feature Film): Shyamchi Aai (Marathi, 1954)
• Cash component (2023): ₹3 lakh each for most categories; ₹2 lakh for Best Children’s Film
• Languages covered: All 22 Eighth-Schedule languages + English & foreign films eligible for Pan-India awards
• Permanent venue: Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi (since 1973)
• Special Jury Award / Mention introduced: 1978
• Most awards by any film: Rudaali (1993) – 6 awards (tied with Lagaan, Kannathil Muthamittal, etc.)
• Most Best Feature Film wins: Kannada cinema (12 times as of 70th NFA)
• Lifetime Achievement (Dadasaheb Phalke): ₹10 lakh + Swarna Kamal + shawl (instituted 1969)

Table-1: National Film Award – Key Categories & Latest (70th, 2022) Winners

2. Dadasaheb Phalke Award – The Bharat Ratna of Cinema

• First recipient (1969): Devika Rani (actress, “First Lady of Indian Cinema”)
• Youngest winner: Shyam Benegal (2005, age 71)
• Oldest winner: Adoor Gopalakrishnan (2004, age 82)
• Only music duo: Laxmikant–Shantaram (composer) & Shantaram (producer-director) – separate years
• 2022 Dadasaheb Phalke: Waheeda Rehman (announced Sept-2023, conferred Oct-2023)

3. International Film Festival of India (IFFI) – Goa

• Founded: 1952 (Mumbai); Permanent venue since 2004: Goa (Panaji)
• Golden Peacock (Best Film) cash: ₹40 lakh (since 2019)
• First Golden Peacock (1952): Mirza Ghalib (Hindi)
• 2023 Golden Peacock: I’m Still Here (Brazil)

4. Filmfare Awards – The Popular “Black Lady”

• First edition: 21 March 1954 (Mumbai, Do Bigha Zameen & Baiju Bawra dominated)
• Trophy designer: N.G. Pansare – inspired by a 1928 German statue
• Most Filmfare Best Actor: Shah Rukh Khan (8)
• Most Filmfare Best Actress: Nutan & Kajol (5 each)
• Longest gap between Best Actor wins: Amitabh Bachchan – 21 yrs (1978→1999)
• First South edition: Filmfare Awards South (1972)

Table-2: Filmfare vs National – Quick Differentiator

5. State Film Awards (Selected)

6. International Honours – India Connect

7. One-liner Revision Bullets

• 1954: Year of first National & Filmfare awards.
• Shyamchi Aai: First President’s Gold Medal film.
• Dadasaheb Phalke: Father of Indian cinema; award instituted 1969.
• Lagaan: First Indian film Oscar-nominated in Best Foreign Language (2002).
• RRR’s Naatu Naatu: 95th Oscars (2023) – Best Original Song.
• Vigyan Bhawan: Fixed NFA venue since 1973.
• ₹3 lakh: Standard cash purse for most NFA categories (2023).
• Kannada cinema: Most Swarna Kamals for Best Feature Film (12).
• Goa: Permanent host of IFFI since 2004.
• Black Lady: 46 cm tall bronze trophy of Filmfare.
• Shah Rukh Khan: 8 Filmfare Best Actor trophies – record.
• Allu Arjun: First Telugu actor to win National Best Actor (Pushpa, 70th NFA).

8. Practice MCQs (Railway Pattern)

Revise → Recall → Regain marks.