| 9th National Film Awards | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | Best of Indian cinema in 1961 |
| Awarded by | Ministry of Information and Broadcasting |
| Presented by | Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (Vice President of India) |
| Announced on | 5 April 1962 |
| Presented on | 21 April 1962 |
| Site | Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi |
| Official website | dff.nic.in |
| Best Feature Film | Bhagini Nivedita |
The 9th National Film Awards , then known as State Awards for Films, presented by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India to felicitate the best of Indian Cinema released in 1961. [1] The awards were announced on 5 April 1962 and were presented on 21 April at the Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi, by then Vice-President of India, Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan.
The Central Committee for State Awards for Films for the year was headed by politician and author R. R. Diwakar. To select films for the awards, the committee viewed "27 feature films, five children's films, seven documentaries and six educational films and a few filmstrips" between 19 March and 2 April 1962. [2]
Awards were divided into feature films and non-feature films.
President's Gold Medal for the All India Best Feature Film is now better known as National Film Award for Best Feature Film, whereas 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, Prime Minister's Gold Medal is now given as National Film Award for Best Children's Film. At the regional level, President's Silver Medal for Best Feature Film is now given as National Film Award for Best Feature Film in a particular language. Certificate of Merit in all the categories is discontinued over the years.
Feature films were awarded at All India as well as regional level. For the 9th National Film Awards, a Bengali film Bhagini Nivedita won the President's Gold Medal for the All India Best Feature Film. Following were the awards given: [1]
Following were the awards given in each category: [1]
| Award | Film | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| President's Gold Medal for the All India Best Feature Film | Bhagini Nivedita | Bengali | Producer: Aurora Film Corporation | Gold Medal and ₹20,000 |
| Director: Bijoy Bose | ₹5,000 | |||
| All India Certificate of Merit for the Second Best Feature Film | Pava Mannippu | Tamil | Producer: Buddha Pictures | Certificate of Merit and ₹10,000 |
| Director: A. Bhimsingh | ₹2,500 | |||
| All India Certificate of Merit for the Third Best Feature Film | Prapanch | Marathi | Producer: Indian National Pictures | Certificate of Merit only |
| Director: Madhukar Pathak | ||||
| Prime Minister's Gold Medal for the Best Children's Film | Hattogol Vijay | Hindi | Producer: Hari S. Dasgupta Productions | Gold Medal and ₹20,000 |
| Director: Buju Das Gupta | ₹5,000 | |||
| Director: Raghunath Goswami | ||||
| All India Certificate of Merit for the Second Best Children's Film | Savitri | Hindi | Producer: Children's Film Society | Certificate of Merit and ₹10,000 |
| Director: Phani Majumdar | ₹2,500 | |||
| All India Certificate of Merit for the Third Best Children's Film | Nanhe Munne Sitare | Hindi | Producer: Ajay Kumar Chakravarty | Certificate of Merit only |
| Director: Ajay Kumar Chakravarty |
The awards were given to the best films made in the regional languages of India. For 9th National Film Awards, President's Silver Medal for Best Feature Film was not given in Gujarati, Kannada and Odia language; instead Certificate of Merit was awarded in each particular language. [1]
Non-feature film awards were given for the documentaries and educational films made in the country. Following were the awards given: [1]
| Award | Film | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| President's Gold Medal for the Best Documentary Film | Rabindranath Tagore (Longer Version) | English | Producer: Films Division | Gold Medal and ₹4,000 |
| Director: Satyajit Ray | ₹1,000 | |||
| All India Certificate of Merit for the Second Best Documentary Film | Our Feathered Friends | English | Producer: Films Division | Certificate of Merit and ₹2,000 |
| Director: Gopal Datt | ₹500 | |||
| All India Certificate of Merit for the Third Best Documentary Film | Romance of the Indian Coin | English | Producer: Films Division | Certificate of Merit only |
| Director: G. H. Saraiya |
| Award | Film | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime Minister's Gold Medal for the Best Educational Film | Citrus Cultivation | English | Producer: Films Division | Gold Medal and ₹4,000 |
| Director: Krishna Kapil | ₹1,000 | |||
| All India Certificate of Merit for the Second Best Educational Film | Coir Worker | English | Producer: F. R. Bilimoria | Certificate of Merit only |
| Director: F. R. Bilimoria | ||||
| All India Certificate of Merit for the Third Best Educational Film | Ahvan | Hindi | Producer: Dhruva Kumar Pandya | Certificate of Merit only |
| Director: Dhruva Kumar Pandya |
Following were the awards not given as no film was found to be suitable for the award: [1]