The 70th National Film Awards 2022 have been renamed the ‘Indira Gandhi award for best debut film’ and ‘Nargis Dutt award for best feature film on national integration.’ The names of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and late veteran actress Nargis Dutt have been dropped.
The Regulations of the 70th National Film Awards 2022 have announced that former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and late veteran actress Nargis Dutt will not be used in the upcoming awards ceremony. The ‘Indira Gandhi award for best debut film’ and the ‘Nargis Dutt award for best feature film on national integration’ have been retitled, with the names of the late prime minister and legendary actor being dropped as part of a raft of changes for the National Film Awards.
The changes were suggested by a committee set up by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry to rationalize the honours given in different categories. The committee deliberated on the changes during the pandemic and the decision to make these changes was ultimately unanimous. Filmmaker Priyadarshan gave his final recommendations in December.
Entries for the National Awards for 2022 closed on January 30, and the awards are running a year late due to the pandemic. The monetary reward for the Dadasaheb Phalke award has been increased from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 15 lakh. The prize money for the Swarn Kamal awards has been increased to Rs 3 lakh and to Rs 2 lakh for Rajat Kamal winners across categories.
Tweaks have also been made in the best music direction category, which will now be known as ‘best background music’. A special jury award has been discontinued but the jury has sole discretion to award two special mentions in the feature film and non-feature film categories of the National Film Awards. In the non-feature film category, some segments have been discontinued while others have been merged together. A new category for best script has been introduced.
The segments of best anthropological/ethnographic film, best science and technology film, best promotional film, best environmental film including agriculture, best film on social issues, best educational film, best exploration/adventure film, and best investigative films have been merged to create two segments: best documentary and best non-feature film promoting social and environmental issues. Best film on family values and special jury awards have been discontinued in the non-feature category.
Conclusion
The 70th National Film Awards 2022 have renamed the ‘Indira Gandhi award for best debut film’ and ‘Nargis Dutt award for best feature film on national integration’, with the names of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and late veteran actress Nargis Dutt being dropped. The changes were suggested by a committee set up by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry to rationalise the honours given in different categories. The monetary reward for the Dadasaheb Phalke award has been increased from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 15 lakh, and the prize money for the Swarn Kamal awards has been increased to Rs 3 lakh and to Rs 2 lakh for Rajat Kamal winners across categories.
