17th National Film Awards

17th National Film Awards
Awarded forBest of Indian cinema in 1969
Awarded byMinistry of Information and Broadcasting
Announced on30 August 1970 (1970-08-30)
Presented on21 November 1970 (1970-11-21)
SiteUniversity Centenary Auditorium, Madras
Official websitedff.nic.in
Highlights
Best Feature FilmBhuvan Shome
Dadasaheb Phalke AwardDevika Rani
Most awardsBhuvan Shome (3)

The 17th National Film Awards were presented by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of India to facilitate the best of Indian cinema released in 1969.[1] The ceremony took place at University Centenary Auditorium, Madras on 21 November 1970.

At the 17th National Film Awards, a new award was introduced to honour the father of Indian cinema, Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, better known as Dadasaheb Phalke. Named the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, it was introduced to recognise the contribution of film personalities towards the development of Indian cinema. Starting with the 100th anniversary of the birth of Phalke in 1870, the award was awarded annually for this distinguished contribution.

Juries

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Six different committees were formed based on the filmmaking sectors in India; along with the award categories, they were mainly based in Bombay, Calcutta and Madras. Another committee for the All India level was also formed, which included some of the members from the regional committees. For the 17th National Film Awards, this central committee was headed by Justice G. D. Khosla.[1]

Awards

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Awards were divided into feature films and non-feature films.

The President's Gold Medal for the All India Best Feature Film is now better known as the National Film Award for Best Feature Film, whereas the President's Gold Medal for the Best Documentary Film is analogous to today's National Film Award for Best Non-Feature Film. For children's films, the Prime Minister's Gold Medal is now given as the National Film Award for Best Children's Film. At the regional level, the President's Silver Medal for Best Feature Film is now given as the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in a particular language. Certificates of Merit in all categories have been discontinued over the years.

Lifetime Achievement Award

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Award Image Awardee(s) Awarded As Cash Prize
Dadasaheb Phalke Award Devika Rani Chaudhuri Roerich Actress 11,000, a shawl and a plaque

Feature films

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Feature films were awarded at the All India as well as the regional level. For the 17th National Film Awards, a Bengali film Bhuvan Shome won the President's Gold Medal for the All India Best Feature Film while also winning the maximum number of awards (three).[1]

All India awards

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The awards given at the All India level were as follows:[1]

Award Film Language Awardee(s) Cash Prize
Best Feature Film Bhuvan Shome Hindi Producer: Mrinal Sen Gold Medal and 20,000
Director: Mrinal Sen
Second Best Feature Film Dibratrir Kabya Bengali Producer: M/s. Nabik Productions 5,000 and a medal
Director: Bimal Bhowmick 2,000 and a plaque
Director: Narayan Chakraborty
Best Feature Film on National Integration Saat Hindustani Hindi Producer: Khwaja Ahmad Abbas 5,000 and a medal
Director: Khwaja Ahmad Abbas
Best Actor (Bharat Award) Bhuvan Shome Hindi Utpal Dutt A figurine
Best Actress (Urvashi Award) Dibratrir Kabya Bengali Madhabi Mukherjee A figurine
Best Direction Bhuvan Shome Hindi Mrinal Sen 5,000 and a plaque
Best Music Direction Nanak Nam Jahaz Hai Punjabi S. Mohinder 5,000 and a plaque
Best Male Playback Singer Aradhana
(For the song "Safal Hogi Teri Aradhana")
Hindi Sachin Dev Burman A plaque
Best Female Playback Singer Thunaivan Tamil K. B. Sundarambal A plaque
Lyric Writer of the Best Film Song on National Integration Saat Hindustani
(For the song "Aandhi Aaye Ki Toofan")
Hindi Kaifi Azmi A plaque
Best Screenplay Gejje Pooje Kannada S. R. Puttanna Kanagal 5,000 and a plaque
Best Cinematography (Black and White) Sara Akash Hindi K. K. Mahajan 5,000 and a plaque
Best Cinematography (Color) Shanti Nilayam Tamil Marcus Bartley 5,000 and a plaque

Regional awards

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Some awards were given to the best films made in the various regional languages of India. For feature films in English, the President's Silver Medal for Best Feature Film was not given. The producer and director of the winning films were awarded with 5,000 and a Silver medal, respectively.[1]

Award Film Awardee(s)
Producer Director
Best Feature Film in Assamese Dr. Bezbarooah M/s Rangghar Cine Productions Brajen Baruah
Best Feature Film in Bengali Natun Pata M/s Gora Pictures Dinen Gupta
Best Feature Film in Gujarati Kanku Kantilal Rathod Kantilal Rathod
Best Feature Film in Hindi Satyakam Sher Jeng Singh Punchee Hrishikesh Mukherjee
Best Feature Film in Kannada Gejje Pooje Chithra Jyothi S. R. Puttanna Kanagal
Best Feature Film in Malayalam Adimakal M. O. Joseph K. S. Sethumadhavan
Best Feature Film in Marathi Tambdi Mati Lilabai Bhalji Pendharkar Bhalji Pendharkar
Best Feature Film in Oriya Adina Megha Babulal Doshi Amit Maitra
Best Feature Film in Punjabi Nanak Nam Jahaz Hai Pannalal Maheshwary Ram Maheshwary
Best Feature Film in Tamil Iru Kodugal N. Selvaraj K. Balachander
B. Doraisamy
N. Krishan
V. Govindarajan
Best Feature Film in Telugu Aadarsa Kutumbam N. Trivikrama Rao Adurthi Subba Rao

Non-Feature films

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Awards were also given to numerous short films.[1]

Award Film Language Awardee(s) Cash Prize
Best Information Film (Documentary) Amrita Sher-Gil English Producer: B. D. Garga 5,000 and a medal
Director: B. D. Garga
Best Educational / Instructional Film Life English Producer: K. L. Khandpur for Films Division 5,000 and a medal
Director: S. Gangooii 2,000 and a plaque
Best Animation Film Umbrella English Producer: G. K. Gokhale for Films Division 5,000 and a medal
Director: B. R. Shendge 2,000 and a plaque
Best Promotional Film (Commercial) Weave Me Some Flowers English Producer: Mohan Wadhwani for Films Division A medal only
Director: P. B. Pendharkar A plaque only

Awards not given

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Some awards were not given because no film was considered suitable:[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g "17th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 July 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
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