National Film Award – Special Mention (feature film)

For Special Jury Award for feature films, see National Film Award – Special Jury Award (feature film).

National Film Award – Special Mention
National award for contributions to Indian Cinema
Sponsored by	National Film Development Corporation of India
Formerly called	Special Commendation (1978)
First awarded	1978
Last awarded	2022
Most recent winner	Manoj Bajpayee Sanjoy Chowdhury
Highlights
Total awarded	72
First winner	Mrinal Sen Muzaffar Ali

The National Film Award – Special Mention is a certificate of merit presented by the National Film Development Corporation of India. It is one of several honours presented for feature films. The recipients of Special Mention are presented with a certificate of merit, without any trophies or cash prizes.

The certificate was instituted in 1978, at 26th National Film Awards and awarded for films produced in a given year across the country, in all Indian languages.

Winners

List of award recipients, showing the year (award ceremony), awarded as, film(s), language(s) and citation
Year	Recipient(s)	Awarded as	Film(s)	Language(s)	Citation	Refs.
1978 (26th)	Mrinal Sen	Director	Parasuram	Bengali	For the sensitive treatment of the problem of rural migrants to cities.	[1]
	Muzaffar Ali	Director	Gaman	Hindi	For the sensitive treatment of the problem of rural migrants to cities.
1979 (27th)	No award					[2]
1980 (28th)	No award					[3]
1981 (29th)	No award					[4]
1982 (30th)	No award					[5]
1983 (31st)	Kumar Shahani	Director	Tarang	Hindi	–	[6]
1984 (32nd)	No award					[7]
1985 (33rd)	No award					[8]
1986 (34th)	Sandip Ray	Director	Himghar	Bengali	–	[9]
1987 (35th)	No award					[10]
1988 (36th)	Aamir Khan	Actor	• Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak  • Raakh	Hindi	For the imaginative, innovative and promising performance of character roles in the films.	[11]
1989 (37th)	Mohanlal	Actor	Kireedam	Malayalam	For portraying young man's agony and pain marvellously and in unique style.	[12]
	Anupam Kher	Actor	Daddy	Hindi	For having played with great finesse and an unequalled range, the role of a gifted artiste hurt by unfortunate personal relationships.
1990 (38th)	Anoubham Kiranmala	Actress	Ishanou	Meitei	For a debut performance depicting various levels of conflict effectively.	[13]
1991 (39th)	Mamata Shankar	Actress	Agantuk	Bengali	For her performance as the housewife.	[14]
	Ravindran	Music director	Bharatham	Malayalam	For the quality of music composed for the song.
1992 (40th)	Sibaprasad Sen	Director	Pasanda Pandit	Bengali	For his refreshing directorial debut.	[15]
1993 (41st)	• Tahir Hussain  • Mahesh Bhatt	•Producer  •Director	Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke	Hindi	For an enjoyable and wholesome entertainment at the level of innocent comedy.	[16]
	•Jugal Debata  • Susant Misra	•Producer  •Director	Indradhanura Chhai	Oriya	For their film, a sensitive exploration of a woman's experience of loneliness in the context of the inexorable passage of time, culminating on a positive note of redemption through symbolic images.
1994 (42nd)	Mahesh Mahadevan	Music director	Nammavar	Tamil	For his unusual and innovative score, using sound effects as an integral part of his musical arrangement.	[17]
	Bishnu Kharghoria	Actor	Xagoroloi Bohudoor	Assamese	For his poignant and memorable role for bringing alive the heartrending agony of a boatman and his grandson, who is not only deserted by his son, but also his life sustaining river – his only source of livelihood.
	S. Kumar	Cinematographer	Parinayam	Malayalam	For recreating and bringing to life an ambiance and characters that help lend credibility to a difficult and complex scenario. Sensitively handled and a sustained performance where the camera and lights have been used as an extension of the creative story teller.
1995 (43rd)	Uttara Baokar	Actress	Doghi	Marathi	For her sensitive portrayal of the agony of a mother in the midst of poverty and honour.	[18]
	Rohini	Actress	Stri	Telugu	For her lively and poignant performance in the role of a village woman longing for love from her unpredictable paramour.
	Benaf Dadachandji	Child actor	Halo	Hindi	For her charming and natural performance.
1996 (44th)	Dolon Roy	Actress	Sanghat	Bengali	For her performance in the film.	[19]
	Bhagirathee	Actress	Adajya	Assamese	For her performance in Durga's role in the film.
1997 (45th)	Nagarjuna	Actor	Annamayya	Telugu	For his fine acting depicting various complex moods in wide ranging situations.	[20]
	Jomol	Actress	Ennu Swantham Janakikutty	Malayalam	For her natural portrayal of an innocent adolescent who becomes psychologically disturbed due to loneliness and rejection, finally her mental and emotional balance.
1998 (46th)	Dasari Narayana Rao	•Producer  •Director	Kante Koothurne Kanu	Telugu	For taking a stand on gender discrimination.	[21]
	Prakash Raj	Actor	Antahpuram	Telugu	For his wholesome performance of the obsessive feudal lord still, living in medieval times.
	Manju Warrier	Actress	Kannezhuthi Pottum Thottu	Malayalam	For her subdued and consistence performance in several films entered for the awards.
1999 (47th)	Mohan Joshi	Actor	Gharabaher	Marathi	For his wonderfully controlled performance of a corrupt politician.	[22]
	Manju Borah	Director	Baibhab	Assamese	For her poetic expression in her debut film.
	Kavita Lankesh	Director	Deveeri	Kannada	For her exuberant debut as a director.
2000 (48th)	No award					[23]
2001 (49th)	•Dilip Doley  •Narayan Seal	Director	Panoi-Jongki	• Miri  • Mishing	For effectively capturing the spirit of the colourful mongoloid tribe located at the foot hills of Arunachal Pradesh .	[24]
2002 (50th)	Jyothirmayi	Actress	Bhavam	Malayalam	For her remarkable performance.	[25]
2003 (51st)	H. G. Dattatreya	Actor	Mouni	Kannada	For his tremendous screen presence that makes the film.	[26]
	Nedumudi Venu	Actor	–	Malayalam	For his extra ordinary versatility in a range of roles in Malayalam films made in 2003.
2004 (52nd)	Gurdas Maan	Actor	Des Hoyaa Pardes	Punjabi	For an effective portrayal of an innocent, helpless, patriotic young Punjabi landlord caught in crossfire between terrorists and the police.	[27]
	Pradeep Nair	Director	Oridam	Malayalam	For his credible attempt at creating a new imagery and effective cinematic language in his debut film.
2005 (53rd)	No award					[28]
2006 (54th)	Thilakan	Actor	Eakantham	Malayalam	For his evocative portrayal of a man ageing with grace and dignity.	[29]
	Prosenjit Chatterjee	Actor	Dosar	Bengali	For his effective portrayal of a man, emotionally expressive despite his physical immobility.
2007 (55th)	No award					[30]
2008 (56th)	No award					[31]
2009 (57th)	Padmapriya Janakiraman	Actress	• Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja  • Kutty Srank	Malayalam	For the range and skill of an actor to portray varied characters in films of different languages.	[32]
2010 (58th)	K. Shivaram Karanth (posthumously)	Writer	Bettada Jeeva	Kannada	For an industry that has steadfastly refused to acknowledge and reward its creative fountainhead – the creator of its stories – the citation acknowledges a literary giant, the late Dr. Shivaram Karanth. The citation also acknowledges his valuable association with the world of Indian cinema.	[33]
2011 (59th)	Mallika	Actress	Byari	Beary	For boldly essaying the role of Nadira, a young Muslim woman, persecuted by a rigid patriarchal system. She faithfully portrays the nuances of her character well as she goes through a turbulent married life even as she maintains a fine balance between the film's melodramatic form and the reality of the conditions in which many Indian women are trapped.	[34]
	Sherrey	Director	Adimadhyantham	Malayalam	For the unique visualisation of the world of a hearing impaired child in rural Kerala. He skilfully combines folk tale, performance and simple graphics to illustrate the growth of an introverted boy who reconciles his impoverished world with the facts of life. He also inserts the cinematic landscape with folk rituals and performances.
2012 (60th)	Lal	Actor	Ozhimuri	Malayalam	A powerful portrayal of a highly surcharged role transcending different age groups in the Malayalam film Ozhimuri.	[35]
	H. G. Dattatreya	Actor	Bharath Stores	Kannada	For his effortless and natural performance of a small time grocery retailer in the Kannada film Bharath Stores.
	Bishnu Kharghoria	Actor	Baandhon	Assamese	For emoting the life and moods of an old man caught in the vortex of the tragedies of life in the Assamese film Baandhon.
	Parineeti Chopra	Actress	Ishaqzaade	Hindi	For her convincing delineation of a daredevil girl in a moving drama of love and tragedy in the Hindi film Ishaqzade.
	Tannishtha Chatterjee	Actress	Dekh Indian Circus	Hindi	For the portrayal of a village housewife from the oppressed and downtrodden class who fights for her dignity and honour in the face of extreme adversities
	Hansraj Jagtap	Child actor	Dhag	Marathi	For his realistic portrayal of an impressionable yet responsible poor boy, living in the unlikely environs of a crematorium and his coming of age on the demise of his father in the Marathi film Dhag.
	Thilakan (posthumously)	Actor	Ustad Hotel	Malayalam	For his sensitive performance as a crusading self-made small-time hotelier with a heart for basic human values.
2013 (61st)	Gauri Gadgil	Child actor	Yellow	Marathi	To pay our salutation to the indomitable spirit of a special child.	[36]
	Sanjana Rai	Child actor	Yellow	Marathi	For his effortless and natural performance of a small time grocery retailer in the Kannada film Bharath Stores.
	Anjali Patil	Actress	Na Bangaaru Talli	Telugu	Kudos to the courage of a girl, who brought out her real life story and told it to the world.
2014 (62nd)	Musthafa	Actor	Ain	Malayalam	For the minute and nuanced manner in which he assays the imperceptible transformation of a carefree youth into a compassionate and responsible young man.	[37]
	Palomi Ghosh	Actress	Nachom-ia Kumpasar	Konkani	For her extraordinarily energetic performance as a girl whose infectious passion for singing and love comes at enormous personal cost.
	Parth Bhalerao	Child actor	• Killa  • Bhoothnath Returns	•Marathi  •Hindi	For lovable portrayals with rare aplomb of an impish and caring child in both Killa and Bhootnath Returns.
2015 (63rd)	Rinku Rajguru	Actress	Sairat	Marathi	For her effective portrayal of a lively girl who defies societal norms but ultimately has to face the wrath of her family.	[38]
	Jayasurya	Actor	• Su.. Su... Sudhi Vathmeekam  • Lukka Chuppi	Malayalam	For his inventive and heartfelt performance in varied roles.
	Ritika Singh	Actress	Irudhi Suttru	Tamil	For her gutsy performance of a boxer in the making.
2016 (64th)	•Eleeanora Images Private Ltd.  • Nila Madhab Panda	•Producer  • Director	Kadvi Hawa	Hindi	For highlighting the farmer's struggle against the changing environmental conditions.	[39]
	•Red Carpet Moving Pictures  • Shubhashish Bhutiani	•Producer  • Director	Mukti Bhawan	Hindi	A film which talks about death with the spirit of hope.
	Adil Hussain	Actor	• Mukti Bhawan  • Maj Rati Keteki	•Hindi  •Assamese	Two different films, two different characters, one same actor. One word  – Brilliant.
	Sonam Kapoor	Actress	Neerja	Hindi	A convincing performance of a real life icon.
2017 (65th)	Pankaj Tripathi	Actor	Newton	Hindi		[40]
	Parvathy	Actress	Take Off	Malayalam
	Prakruti Mishra	Actress	Hello Arsi	Odia
	Yasharaj Karhade	Child artist	Mhorkya	Marathi
2018 (66th)	Sruthi Hariharan	Actress	Nathicharami	Kannada	For the complex and nuanced portrayal of a new age Indian woman.
	Chandrachoor Rai	Actor	Kadakh	Hindi	Effective depiction of the emotions of an agitated husband.
	Joju George	Actor	Joseph	Malayalam	For a convincing portrayal of a vigilante, who busts a "Human organ" racket.
	Savithri Sreedharan	Actress	Sudani from Nigeria	Malayalam	For subtly portraying the emotions of a mother.
2019 (67th)	Sajin Babu	Director	Biriyaani	Malayalam	A powerful portrayal of a vibrant Muslim woman victimized by her society and her unique revenge.	[41]
	Benjamin Daimary	Actor	Jonaki Porua	Assamese	A sensitive portrayal of a young man struggling to find his sexual identity.
	Lata Kare	Actress	Lata Bhagwan Kare	Marathi	A powerful portrayal of the real story of Lata Kare, struggling for survival on the one side and at the same time venturing into running and winning the Baramati marathon at the age of sixty five.
	Abhijeet Mohan Warang	Director	Picasso	Marathi	The director interestingly portrays the life of a struggling folk artist and his son aspiring to enter a world renowned painting school in the backdrop of popular folk theatre (Dasaavatar).
2020 (68th)	Aimee Baruah	Actress	Semkhor	Dimasa	For a highly convincing portrayal of a tribal woman's plight in the movie Semkhor.
	Kavya Prakash	Director	Vaanku	Malayalam	For underlining the right of women for social equality for the film Vaanku in her debut directorial.
	Siddharth Menon	Actor	June	Marathi	For an effective portrayal of the conflicts of the adolescent mind in the film June.
	Kishor Kadam	Actor	•Godakaath  •Avwanchhit	Marathi	For a convincing portrayal of the sympathetic soul in Godakkath and Avwanchhit.
	Varun Buddhadev	Child Actor	Toolsidas Junior	Hindi	For an assertive performance as a teenager on the path of achievement in Toolsidas Junior..

See also

• National Film Award – Special Jury Award

References

1. "26th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals . Retrieved 27 March 2022.
2. "27th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals . Retrieved 27 March 2022.
3. "28th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals . Retrieved 27 March 2022.
4. "29th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals . Retrieved 27 March 2022.
5. "30th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals . Retrieved 22 March 2022.
6. "31st National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals . Retrieved 27 March 2022.
7. "32nd National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals . Retrieved 27 March 2022.
8. "33rd National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals . Retrieved 27 March 2022.
9. "34th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals . Retrieved 27 March 2022.
10. "35th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals . Retrieved 27 March 2022.
11. "36th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals . Retrieved 27 March 2022.
12. "37th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals . Retrieved 27 March 2022.
13. "38th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals . Retrieved 27 March 2022.
14. "39th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals . Retrieved 27 March 2022.
15. "40th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals . Retrieved 27 March 2022.
16. "41st National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals . Retrieved 27 March 2022.
17. "42nd National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals . Retrieved 27 March 2022.
18. "43rd National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals . Retrieved 27 March 2022.
19. "44th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals . Retrieved 27 March 2022.
20. "45th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals . Retrieved 27 March 2022.
21. "46th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals . Retrieved 27 March 2022.
22. "47th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals . Retrieved 27 March 2022.
23. "48th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals . Retrieved 27 March 2022.
24. "49th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals . Retrieved 27 March 2022.
25. "50th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals . Retrieved 27 March 2022.
26. "51st National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals . Retrieved 27 March 2022.
27. "52nd National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals . Retrieved 27 March 2022.
28. "53rd National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals . Retrieved 27 March 2022.
29. "54th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals . Retrieved 27 March 2022.
30. "55th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals . Retrieved 27 March 2022.
31. "56th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals . Retrieved 27 March 2022.
32. "57th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals . Retrieved 27 March 2022.
33. "58th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals . Retrieved 27 March 2022.
34. "59th National Film Awards for the Year 2011 Announced". Press Information Bureau (PIB), India. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
35. "60th National Film Awards Announced" (PDF) (Press release). Press Information Bureau (PIB), India. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
36. "61st National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. 16 April 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 April 2014. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
37. "62nd National Film Awards" (PDF) (Press release). Directorate of Film Festivals. 24 March 2015. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
38. "63rd National Film Awards" (PDF) (Press release). Directorate of Film Festivals. 28 March 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
39. "64th National Film Awards" (PDF) (Press release). Directorate of Film Festivals. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 June 2017. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
40. "Odia film Hello Arsi wins big at 65th National Film Awards". The Times of India. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
41. "67th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals . Retrieved 25 May 2022.

External links

• Official Page for Directorate of Film Festivals, India
• National Film Awards Archives
• National Film Awards at IMDb