National Film Awards 2019: Ayushmann Khurrana, Vicky Kaushal, Keerthy Suresh receive top honours

On 23 December, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu distributed the 66th National Film Awards at the New Delhi's Vigyan Bhawan. Among those honoured at the event are Bollywood actors Vicky Kaushal and Ayushmann Khurrana, who shared the Best Actor Award for their films Uri: The Surgical Strike and Andhadhun, respectively.

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who was supposed to receive the Dadasaheb Phalke Award at the ceremony, skipped the event citing ill health. The 77-year-old actor will now be honoured by President Ram Nath Kovind on 29 December at a high-tea, to be hosted at Rashtrapati Bhavan for all the winners.

Naidu said he was happy that films which were recognised at the 66th edition of National Film Awards broke stereotypes and attacked superstitions.

"The feature films this year are as much about emotions as they are about intelligence... In the banquet of films, we have films that break stereotypes and attack superstitions sensitively. We see through the makers' imagination the orthodox traditions giving way to modern solutions," Naidu said during the ceremony.

He also praised non-feature films for dealing with a wide range of subjects such as female infanticide, human trafficking and adoption.

Hellaro, a Gujarati film on women empowerment in a patriarchal society, won the best feature film honour. Keerthy, the winner of best actress award for her portrayal of yesteryear Telugu star Savitri in bilingual biopic Mahanati, was elated to get recognised for the film.

Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali won the award for best music direction (songs) for his magnum opus Padmaavat.

Check out all the winners here

Aditya Dhar picking his award for Best Director (Uri: The Surgical Strike)

What a proud moment! My dear friend @AdityaDharFilms wins the National Award for Best Director for his film #Uri The Surgical Strike. Still remember his phone call 2 years ago when he discussed the idea of making this film. So, How is the Josh, folks? @vickykaushal09 @yamigautam pic.twitter.com/Uo7XqAIHxZ

— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) December 23, 2019

Neena Gupta congratulated her Badhaai co-star, Surekha Sikri for winning the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for the film. Surekha had played Neena’s mother-in-law in the film.

Lots of love surekha ji https://t.co/OfN4ALBxOV

— Neena Gupta (@Neenagupta001) December 23, 2019

#Padman wins the award for the Best Film on Social Issues

Actor @akshaykumar receives the award for the film #Padman at 66th #NationalFilmAwards pic.twitter.com/QVLpmMu1BV

— PIB India (@PIB_India) December 23, 2019

Best Actor (Feature Films Section) goes to @ayushmannk for #Andhadhun for his powerful execution of a complex role of ‘now blind & now not blind’ character.#NationalFilmAwards pic.twitter.com/dIQXYgKVKe

— PIB India (@PIB_India) December 23, 2019

Best Actor (Feature Films Section) goes to @vickykaushal09 for #URI: The Surgical Strike for effectively conveying a realistic character of an army officer. #NationalFilmAwards pic.twitter.com/J39YnXGugd

— PIB India (@PIB_India) December 23, 2019

#SanjayLeelaBhansali receives the #NationalAward for Best Music Direction for #Padmaavat

All the songs lift the mood of the film and give a different dimension to the narrative.#NationalFilmAwards pic.twitter.com/OaNwKHCxuw

— PIB India (@PIB_India) December 23, 2019

Award for Best Hindi Film (Feature Films Section) goes to #Andhadhun

The film is a judicious mix of intrigue and creativity.#NationalFilmAwards pic.twitter.com/IyWXZ6AaBg

— PIB India (@PIB_India) December 23, 2019

Special Jury Award at 66th #NationalFilmAwards goes to 13 actors of Gujarati film #Hellaro for the ability of a group of rural women characters, acting as a unit, to bring about social transformation while taking the audience through emotional catharsis. pic.twitter.com/yXOefkPj9P

— PIB India (@PIB_India) December 23, 2019

Best Action Direction Award (Stunt Choreography) goes to #VikramMore for Kannada film #KGF #NationalFilmAwards @KGFTheFilm pic.twitter.com/pcOotMB5TQ

— PIB India (@PIB_India) December 23, 2019

(With inputs from Press Trust of India)