45th National Film Awards

45th National Film Awards
45th National Film Awards
Awarded for	Best of Indian cinema in 1997
Awarded by	Directorate of Film Festivals
Presented by	K. R. Narayanan; (President of India)
Announced on	8 May 1998
Presented on	10 July 1998
Site	Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi
Official website	dff.nic.in
Highlights
Best Feature Film	Thaayi Saheba
Best Non-Feature Film	Jataner Jami
Best Book	• Cinemachi Goshta; • Hindi Cinema Aur Delhi
Best Film Critic	Deepa Gahlot
Dadasaheb Phalke Award	Kavi Pradeep
Most awards	Thaayi Saheba (4)
	← 44th; National Film Awards; 46th →;

The 45th National Film Awards, presented by Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India to felicitate the best of Indian Cinema released in the year 1997.^[2] The awards were announced on 8 May 1998 and presented on 10 July 1998 by then President of India, K. R. Narayanan.

Awards

Awards were divided into feature films, non-feature films and books written on Indian cinema.

Lifetime Achievement Award

Name of Award	Image	Awardee(s)	Awarded As	Awards
Dadasaheb Phalke Award		Kavi Pradeep^[3]	Lyricist	Swarna Kamal, ₹ 100,000 and a Shawl

Feature films

Feature films were awarded at All India as well as regional level. For National Film Awards, a Kannada film, Thaayi Saheba won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film also winning the maximum number of awards (4). Following were the awards given in each category:^[2]

Juries

A committee headed by B. Saroja Devi was appointed to evaluate the feature films awards. Following were the jury members:^[2]

Jury Members
- B. Saroja Devi (Chairperson) • P. Madhavan • Maheep Singh • C. V. L. Sastry • Aruna Purohit • Uma da Cunha • Devender Khandelwal • Sandip Ray • Santwana Bordoloi • Arundathi Nag • Pushpa Bharati • K. R. Mohanan • V. Madhusudhana Rao

All India Award

Following were the awards given:^[2]

Golden Lotus Award

Official Name: Swarna Kamal^[2]

All the awardees are awarded with 'Golden Lotus Award (Swarna Kamal)', a certificate and cash prize.

Name of Award	Name of Film	Language	Awardee(s)	Cash Prize
Best Feature Film	Thaayi Saheba	Kannada	Producer: Jaimala director: Girish Kasaravalli	₹ 50,000/- Each
Best Feature Film	Citation: For its challenging portrayal of one woman who carries the burden of traditional constraints and restrictions of society and learns to overcome them with courage, dignity, sacrifice. In the process, she speaks for the emancipation of women.
Best Debut Film of a Director	Bhoothakkannadi	Malayalam	Producer: Nair Krishnakumar Unni Director: A. K. Lohithadas	₹ 25,000/- Each
Best Debut Film of a Director	Citation: For the director's competent handling of the delicate balance of the human psyche.
Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment	Dil To Pagal Hai	Hindi	Producer: Yash Chopra Director: Yash Chopra	₹ 40,000/- Each
Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment	Citation: For its clean, fun-loving portrayal of young people in the film that moves effortlessly and avoids any signs of violence or vulgarity.
Best Children's Film	Ramayanam	Telugu	Producer: M. S. Reddy Director: Gunasekhar	₹ 30,000/- Each
Best Children's Film	Citation: For presenting the classical Indian epic in an entertaining narrative style with child actors playing all the legendary characters with ease and verve. The film provides an opportunity for children to keep in touch with the country's cultural heritage.
Best Direction	Kaliyattam	Malayalam	Jayaraj	₹ 50,000/-
Best Direction	Citation: For successfully transplanting the classic play by keeping the traditional "Theyyam" art form as a backdrop and weaving an extremely tight story, never losing control of the medium.

Silver Lotus Award

Official Name: Rajat Kamal^[2]

All the awardees are awarded with 'Silver Lotus Award (Rajat Kamal)', a certificate and cash prize.

Name of Award	Name of Film	Language	Awardee(s)	Cash Prize
Best Feature Film on National Integration	Border	Hindi	Producer: J. P. Dutta Director: J. P. Dutta	₹ 30,000/- Each
Best Feature Film on National Integration	Citation: For making an honest statement on patriotism, portraying the gallantry and sacrifies of the Armed forces, thereby instilling a sense of National pride.
Best Film on Family Welfare	Samaantharangal	Malayalam	Producer: Balachandra Menon Director: Balachandra Menon	₹ 30,000/- Each
Best Film on Family Welfare	Citation: For an original script evolved from personal experience in a film that nurtures family and community life. The protagonist makes sacrifices in order to project the emotional and moral needs of his family members and through them projects a larger picture of the National Interests that bind us all.
Best Film on Other Social Issues	Dhanna	Hindi	Producer: Films Division Director: Deepak Roy	₹ 30,000/- Each
Best Film on Other Social Issues	Citation: The film stands for the rights of a disabled person to be accorded the privileges of a normal human being within a family and in society. It states in a simple yet convincing manner that the disabled should be encouraged to develop their inner talents.
Best Film on Environment / Conservation / Preservation	Bhoomi Geetha	Kannada	Producer: R. Mahadev Gowda Director: Kesari Harvoo	₹ 30,000/- Each
Best Film on Environment / Conservation / Preservation	Citation: For its sincere statement the need for a balanced approach towards environment and tribal cultures that get displaced in the course of development.
Best Actor	Kaliyattam	Malayalam	Suresh Gopi	₹ 10,000/- Each
	Citation: For his control and presence in a role that demands a wide range of emotions.
	Samaantharangal	Malayalam	Balachandra Menon
	Citation: For his realistic and sensitive portrayal of a middle-class man who stands up for this high principles.
Best Actress	Dahan	Bengali	• Indrani Haldar • Rituparna Sengupta	₹ 10,000/- Each
Best Actress	Citation: For their restrained, sensitive portrayal of two women caught in a web in which both face humiliation. The two actresses are inspiring in the way they emerge richer from their experience.
Best Supporting Actor	Iruvar	Tamil	Prakash Raj	₹ 10,000/-
Best Supporting Actor	Citation: For his sensitive and consistent portrayal of a powerful character that spans a colourful political career.
Best Supporting Actress	Dil To Pagal Hai	Hindi	Karisma Kapoor	₹ 10,000/-
Best Supporting Actress	Citation: For her spirited and moving performance as a young woman who values friendship and love.
Best Child Artist	Dhanna	Hindi	Dhanraj	₹ 10,000/-
Best Child Artist	Citation: For actor's natural portrayal of a disabled person. His curiosity and interests make him turn from a social outcaste into a self-learning member of community.
Best Male Playback Singer	Border ("Mere Dushman Mere Bhai")	Hindi	Hariharan	₹ 10,000/-
Best Male Playback Singer	Citation: For his melodious rendering of the heartwarming song.
Best Female Playback Singer	Virasat ("Paayalein Chun Mun")	Hindi	K. S. Chithra	₹ 10,000/-
Best Female Playback Singer	Citation: For her effortless and playful rendering of the song.
Best Cinematography	Iruvar	Tamil	Cameraman: Santosh Sivan Laboratory Processing: Prasad Film Laboratories	₹ 10,000/- Each
Best Cinematography	Citation: For maintaining a consistent style and pattern that does justice to the period and scale that the narrative deals with.
Best Screenplay	Dahan	Bengali	Rituparno Ghosh	₹ 10,000/-
Best Screenplay	Citation: For tactfully crafting a sensitive theme that dwells upon an incident which raises issues of social responsibility and personal awareness.
Best Audiography	Ennu Swantham Janakikutty	Malayalam	Sampath	₹ 10,000/-
Best Audiography	Citation: For using silence creatively to enhance a subject that deals with the isolation of a mind trapped in fantasy.
Best Editing	The Terrorist	Tamil	A. Sreekar Prasad	₹ 10,000/-
Best Editing	Citation: For his sleek, officient and sharp editing which gives the film an absorbing pace, making it gripping and thought provoking.
Best Art Direction	Thaayi Saheba	Kannada	Ramesh Desai	₹ 10,000/-
Best Art Direction	Citation: For his meticulous attention to minute details creating the exact atmosphere and aura of the film's period lifestyle and its changing perspective decade to decade.
Best Costume Design	Thaayi Saheba	Kannada	Vaishali Kasaravalli	₹ 10,000/-
Best Costume Design	Citation: For her care and perception in designing the period costuming required for a film that covers a demanding range encompassing the upper class to the common man.
Best Music Direction	Annamayya	Telugu	M. M. Keeravani	₹ 10,000/-
Best Music Direction	Citation: For the film's rich, classical music scores and its devotional fervor.
Best Lyrics	Border	Hindi	Javed Akhtar	₹ 10,000/-
Best Lyrics	Citation: For its evocative wording that is imbued with compassion for our nation and for human beings at large.
Best Choreography	Dil To Pagal Hai	Hindi	Shiamak Davar	₹ 10,000/-
Best Choreography	Citation: For the striking and aesthetic use of colour and design in the film with both elements enriching its rhythm and dance movement.
Special Jury Award	Thaayi Saheba	Kannada	Jaimala (Actor)	₹ 25,000/-
Special Jury Award	Citation: For her restrained and compellig portrayal of a woman who silently goes through the journey of life with grace and poise.
Special Mention	Annamayya	Telugu	Nagarjuna (Actor)	Certificate Only
	Citation: For his fine acting depicting various complex moods in wide ranging situations.
	Ennu Swantham Janakikutty	Malayalam	Jomol (Actress)
	Citation: For her natural portrayal of an innocent adolescent who becomes psychologically disturbed due to loneliness and rejection, finally her mental and emotional balance.

Regional Awards

The award is given to best film in the regional languages in India.^[2]

Name of Award	Name of Film	Awardee(s)	Cash Prize
Best Feature Film in Bengali	Dahan	Producer: Bijay Agarwal and Kalpana Agarwal Director: Rituparno Ghosh	₹ 20,000/- Each
Best Feature Film in Bengali	Citation: For the way in which film portrays two young women who undergo the agony of discovering the harsh realities of their situation and society.
Best Feature Film in Hindi	Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa	Producer: Govind Nihalani Director: Govind Nihalani	₹ 20,000/- Each
Best Feature Film in Hindi	Citation: For a moving depiction of the story of a mother who beings to realise her son's values and beliefs only after his tragic death and in the process emerges a stronger being.
Best Feature Film in Kannada	Mungarina Minchu	Producer: Jai Jagadish – R. Dushyanth Singh Director: Rajendra Singh Babu	₹ 20,000/- Each
Best Feature Film in Kannada	Citation: For its interesting and amusing portrayal of the unexpected series of events that change the life of all the character in this family.
Best Feature Film in Malayalam	Mangamma	Producer: NFDC Director: T. V. Chandran	₹ 20,000/- Each
Best Feature Film in Malayalam	Citation: The film tells the story of a remarkable courageous middle class woman who takes challenge upon challenge in her stride. Each confrontation makes a comment on social structures.
Best Feature Film in Oriya	Shesha Drushti	Producer: NFDC Director: Apurba Kishore Bir	₹ 20,000/- Each
Best Feature Film in Oriya	Citation: For effectively portraying two generations trapped in a web – one that can't break away from its past – the other that tries to deal with a present with no future.
Best Feature Film in Punjabi	Main Maa Punjab Dee	Producer: Devender Walia Director: Balwant Dullat	₹ 20,000/- Each
Best Feature Film in Punjabi	Citation: For the film's exploration of a suffering mother who undergoes the trauma created by her own sons and rediscovers her creative talent and rehabilitates herself.
Best Feature Film in Tamil	The Terrorist	Producer: A. Sriram Director: Santosh Sivan	₹ 20,000/- Each
Best Feature Film in Tamil	Citation: For the film's stylised, evocative presentation of a theme that introspectively and in a silent, subtle manner says a loud "NO" to violence.
Best Feature Film in Telugu	Sindhooram	Producer: Krishna Vamsi Director: Krishna Vamsi	₹ 20,000/- Each
Best Feature Film in Telugu	Citation: For the film's sincere effort at analysing, the problem of corruption which leads to disillusionment among the young and perpetuates violence within a society.

Non-Feature Films

Short Films made in any Indian language and certified by the Central Board of Film Certification as a documentary/newsreel/fiction are eligible for non-feature film section.