| 56th Karnataka State Film Awards | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | Best of Kannada Cinema in 2021 |
| Presented by | Siddaramaiah (Chief Minister of Karnataka) |
| Announced on | 4 October 2025 |
| Site | Bengaluru, Karnataka, India |
| Highlights | |
| Best Direction | Raghu K. M. Doddahatti Boregowda |
| Best Actor | Rakshit Shetty 777 Charlie |
| Best Actress | Archana Jois Mute |
| Most awards | 777 Charlie (4) |
The 2021 Karnataka State Film Awards, presented by Government of Karnataka, felicitated the best of Karnataka cinema released in the year 2021. [1] The selection advisory committee was headed by senior journalist, Sadashiva Shenoy. [2]
The film 777 Charlie emerged as the biggest winner with four awards: Best Second Film, Best Actor, Best Lyrics and Best Editing. [3]
| Award title | Awardee(s) | Awarded As | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dr. Rajkumar Award | – | – | ₹2,00,000 and a gold medal with a certificate |
| Puttanna Kanagal Award | – | – | ₹2,00,000 and a gold medal with a certificate |
| Dr. Vishnuvardhan Award | – | – | ₹2,00,000 and a gold medal with a certificate |
| Award title | Film | Producer(s) | Director |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Best Film | Doddahatti Boregowda | •B. C. Shashikumar • K. M. Lokesh | Raghu K. M. |
| Second Best Film | 777 Charlie | Paramvah Studios | Kiranraj K. |
| Third Best Film | Bisilu Kudure | Hridaya Shiva | Hridaya Shiva |
| Best Film of Social Concern | – | – | – |
| Best Children Film | Cake | Parikshit Ishwar | Kishore Moodbidri |
| Best Regional Film | Nada Peda Asha (Kodava language) | •Eramanda Harini Vijay Uttaiah • Yeshoda Prakash | Prakash Kariappa |
| Best Entertaining Film | Yuvarathnaa | Vijay Kiragandur | Santhosh Ananddram |
| Best Debut Film of Newcomer Director | Badava Rascal | • Dhananjay • Rizwan | Shankar Guru |
| Award title | Film | Awardee | Cash prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Director | Nada Peda Asha | Prakash Kariappa | ₹ 1,00,000 |
| Best Actor | 777 Charlie | Rakshit Shetty | ₹ 20,000 |
| Best Actress | Mute | Archana Jois | ₹ 20,000 |
| Best Supporting Actor | Rathnan Prapancha | Pramod Panju | ₹ 20,000 |
| Best Supporting Actress | Rathnan Prapancha | Umashree | ₹ 20,000 |
| Best Child Actor | Cake | Athish Shetty | ₹ 20,000 |
| Best Child Actress | Bhairavi | Baby Bhairavi | ₹ 20,000 |
| Best Music Direction | Bisilu Kudure | Imtiaz Sultan | ₹ 20,000 |
| Best Male Playback Singer | Sri Jagannatha Dasaru | Aneesh Keshava Rao | ₹ 20,000 |
| Best Female Playback Singer | Dandi | Sahana M. Bharadwaj | ₹ 20,000 |
| Best Cinematography | Amme Samsara ( Konkani film ) | Bhuvanesh Prabhu | ₹ 20,000 |
| Best Editing | 777 Charlie | Prateek Shetty | ₹ 20,000 |
| Best Lyrics | 777 Charlie | Nagarjun Sharma | ₹ 20,000 |
| Best Art Direction | Bhajarangi 2 | Ravi S | ₹ 20,000 |
| Best Story Writer | Ombatthu Sullu Kathegalu | Manjunath Muniyappa | ₹ 20,000 |
| Best Screenplay | Doddahatti Boregowda | Raghu K. M. | ₹ 20,000 |
| Best Dialogue Writer | Thayi Kasthur Gandhi | Baraguru Ramachandrappa | ₹ 20,000 |
| Jury's Special Award | Bhairavi | (Special mention - Film of merit) | ₹ 20,000 each |
| Bhajarangi 2 | Yogi G. Raj (costume design) | ||
| Thayi Kasthur Gandhi | Shivakumar (Makeup) | ||
| Best Book on Kannada Cinema | – | – | ₹ 20,000 |
| Best Short Film | – | – | ₹ 20,000 |