59th National Film Awards for the Year 2011 Announced

The top honour in the Feature Film category,  the Best Film  is shared by  films Deool (Marathi)  produced by Abhijeet Gholap & directed by Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni  and Byari ( Byari language) produced  by T.H. Althaf Hussain & directed by Suveeram.  The award carries Swarna  Kamal and cash prize of Rs. 2,50,000/-.  In Non-feature film category  the top honour , Best Film goes to And We Play On (Hindi & English)directed and produced by Pramod Purswane .  The awards carries Swarna Kamal and Cash prize of Rs. 1,50,000/-.  In Best Writing on Cinema category the Swarna Kamal goes to the book titled R.D. Burman – The Man, The Music written by Anirudha Bhattacharjee & Balaji Vittal, published by Harper Collins India. Whereas Manoj Barpujari from Assam has been awarded Best Film Critic.

            In Feature Film category, five films have won three awards each. These Films are  The  Dirty Picture (Hindi), Balgandharva (Marathi), Anhe Ghorey Da Daan (Punjabi), Deool (Marathi)  & Ranjana Ami Ar Ashbo Na (Bengali).  Six films have won two awards each.  These are Chillar Party (Hindi),  Azhagarsamiyin Kuthirai (Tamil), Aaranyakandam (Tamil), Phijigee Mani (Manipuri) , Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (Hindi) & Game (Hindi). 

            The  Best Actor award goes to Girish Kulkarni for film Deool (Marathi) and Best Actress to Vidya Balan for the film The Dirty Picture (Hindi). Azhagarsamiyin Kuthirai (Tamil) won the award for Wholesome Entertainment, Chillar Party (Hindi) won Best Children Film, Best Director to  Gurvinder Singh for Punjabi  film Anhe Ghorey Da Daan , Best Singer to Anand Bhate (Male)  for Marathi film Balgandharva and Roopa Ganguly (Female) for the Bengali film Abosheyshey .  Kumararaja Thiagarajan has won the Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut film of a Director.

In the Non-Feature film category, three films have won two awards each.  The Film Tiger Dynasty has won the Best Environmental Film & Best Cinematography awards.  Awards for Best Direction and Best Editing have been taken away by the film There is Something in the Air.  Film Panchakki has been awarded Best Short Fiction and Best Music Direction.