National Awards: Sridevi Wins Best Actress Posthumously For MOM, Dadasaheb Phalke For Vinod Khanna

New Delhi: The National Film Awards, announced in New Delhi today, posthumously awarded two icons of Indian cinema - Sridevi, who drowned in a Dubai hotel bathroom in February, won her first National Film Award for Best Actress for her performance in MOM, the revenge thriller that was her swan song; Vinod Khanna, who died last year, will receive the Dadasaheb Phalke award, India's highest film honour. MOM, in which Sridevi was cast as a mother bent on avenging the rape of her daughter, was her third film after returning to acting recently with English Vinglish and Tamil film Puli.

Assamese film Village Rockstars, in the Kamrupi dialect, won Best Feature Film and also the National Film Awards for Best Editing and Best Location Sound. Its young star Bhanita Das won Best Child Artiste.

Bhayanakam won Best Director for Jayaraj, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Cinematography. Best Actor National Film Award went to Riddhi Sen for the Bengali film Nagar Kirtan.

Divya Dutta won Best Supporting Actress for Irada. Fahad Fazil won Best Supporting Actor for Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum which also won Best Malayalam Film and Best Screenplay.

Baahubali: The Conclusion won Best Popular Film, Best Action and Best Special Effects; Best Choreography was taken by Toilet: Ek Prem Katha's song Gori Tu Laath Maar.

A R Rahman won Best Music Direction for director Mani Rathnam's Kaatru Veliyidai, and Best Background Score for MOM. Kaatru Veliyidai also won Best Female Playback Singer for Sasha Thirupati. Malayalam singer Yesudas won Best Male Playback Singer.

Feature film jury head Shekhar Kapur, who announced the National Film Awards, reserved words of praise for regional cinema. Mr Kapur, who hasn't made a film in India since Bandit Queen, said, "It's time to make a film in India because the standard of regional cinema is world beating."

Sinjar, a film from Lakshadweep, won Best Jasari Film and Best Debut Film of a Director, receiving a special shout-out from Shekhar Kapur. Walking With The Wind won Best Ladakhi Film, which was also awarded for Best Sound.

Kachha Nimbu won Best Marathi Film; To Let won Best Tamil Film; Rana Daggubati's Ghazi won Best Telugu Film; Dhh won Best Gujarati Film; Hebbettu Ramakka won Best Kannada Film.

Newton won Best Hindi Film with a Special Mention for actor Pankaj Tripathi, who said later, "I am absolutely delighted. I had no idea I was even in the running. It feels amazing to know that the whole country thought my role in Newton was one of my best and to win the Special Mention Award at the highest film award in India is just exhilarating. My director and co-actors made it so easy for me to act in this film."

Malayalam actress Parvathy won a Special Mention for Take Off, which also took the prize for Best Production Design.

Mayurakshi, starring Prosenjit and Soumitra Chatterjee, won Best Bengali Film; Ishu won Best Assamese Film.

The National Awards ceremony will be held on May 3.

Here's the list of winners of the 65th National Film Awards:

Best Feature Film:Village Rockstars (Assamese)
Best Actress: Sridevi for MOM
Best Actor: Ridhhi Sen for Nagar Kirtan
Best Director: Jayaraj for Bhayanakam
Best Supporting Actress: Divya Dutta for Irada
Best Supporting Actor: Fahad Fazil for Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum
Best Child Artiste: Bhanita Das for Village Rockstars
Best Popular Film:Baahubali: The Conclusion
Dada Saheb Phalke Award: Vinod Khanna
Best Action Direction:Baahubali 2
Best Choreography:Toilet: Ek Prem Katha (song: Gori Tu Latth Maar)
Best Special Effects:Baahubali: The Conclusion
Special Jury Award:Nagar Kirtan (Bengali)
Best Debut Film Of A Director:Sinjar (Jesari)
Best Short Film Fiction:Maiyat
Best Film On Family Values: Happy Birthday
Best Film for National Integration:Dhappa
Best Educational Film: The Girls We Were And The Women We Are
Best Anthropological Film: Name Place Animal Thing, Slave Genesis
Best Cinematography: Eye Test, Don
Best Adventure Film:Ladakh Chale Rickshaw Waale
Best Editing:Mrityubhoj
Best Music:Sword Of Liberty
Best Narration:The Lion Of Ladhakh
Best Book On Cinema: Matamgi Manipur
Best Critic On Cinema Award: Giridhar Jha, Special Mention to Sunil Mishra
Best Lyrics:March 22 (song: Mutthu Ratna)
Best Music Director: A R Rahman for Kaatru Veliyidai
Best Background Score: A R Rahman for MOM
Best Make-Up Artiste: Ram Razak for Nagar Kirtan
Best Costume: Govinda Mondal for Nagar Kirtan
Best Production Design: Santosh Rajan for Take Off
Best Editing:Village Rockstars
Best Sound Designer and Re-Recordist: Samuel George, Justin A Jose for Walking With The Film
Best On Location Sound Recordist:Unrserved
Best Location Sound: Mallika Das for Village Rockstars
Best Original Screenplay:Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum
Best Adapted Screenplay:Bhayankam
Best Playback Singer (Female): Shasha Tirupati for Vaan Varuvaan) from Kaatru Veliyidai
Best Playback Singer (Male): Yesudas for Poyi Maranja Kaalam from Viswasapoorvam Mansoor

Special Mention Awards:

Maurkhiya (Marathi)
Hello Arsi(Odiya)
Parvathy for Take Off (Malyalam)
Pankaj Tripathy for Newton

Best Regional Films Awards:
Best Hindi Film:Newton
Best Bengali Film: Mayurakshi
Best Ladakhi Film:Walking With The Wind
Best Tullu Film: Paddayi
Best Odiya Film:Hello Arsi
Best Marathi Film: Kaccha Nimbu
Best Malyalam Film:Thondimuthalum Driksakshiuam
Best Kannada Film:Hebbetu Ramakka
Best Jesari Film: Sinjar
Best Assamese Film: Ishu
Best Tamil Film: To Let
Best Telugu Film:Ghazi
Best Gujarati Film:Dhh