Shekhar Kapur, who heads the jury this year, said that he was stunned by the quality of films, especially those in regional cinema, that were nominated this for the National Film Awards in 2018.
Amit V Masurkar’s Newton won the Best Hindi Language Feature Film award. Pankaj Tripathi, who was lauded for his performance in the same film, received a Special Mention from the jury at the 65th National Film Awards. Sridevi, who passed away in February this year due to accidental drowning, was named Best Actress for Mom. The Dadasaheb Phalke Award this year was for Vinod Khanna. Khanna breathed his last on April 27 lat year. The jury, while pointing out his impressive body of work, mentioned how the actor was a ‘gentleman’ before a superstar. The 65th National Film Awards saw regional cinema dominating the winners list. AR Rahman won the Best Music Director award for his work in Mani Ratnam’s Tamil film Kaatru Veliyidayi. SS Rajamouli’s Baahubali: The Conclusion picked up three trophies at the National Film Awards this year.
