NEW DELHI: Celebrating the top films and cinematic accomplishments of 2022, the winners of the 70th National Film Awards were announced by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Friday. Southern cinema prominently featured in the awards, though Sooraj R Barjatya took home the Best Director award for his Hindi film 'Uunchai.' Pramod Kumar was honoured for Best Debut Film of a Director for 'Fouja,' and Neena Gupta received the Best Supporting Actress award for her role in 'Uunchai.'

Rishab Shetty was named Best Actor in a Feature Film for his remarkable performance in the Kannada folk action thriller *Kantara*. Shetty also directed the film, which was recognized as the Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. The Best Actress award went to Nithya Menen for her role in the Tamil comedy-drama 'Thiruchitrambalam' and Manasi Parekh for her performance in the Gujarati drama 'Kutch Express.'

In the Malayalam suspense chamber drama category, Anand Ekarshi’s *Aattam* won Best Film, Best Editing, and Best Screenplay awards. Sooraj R Barjatya was acknowledged as Best Director for *Uunchai*, which featured an ensemble cast including Amitabh Bachchan, Anupam Kher, and Boman Irani.

The 70th National Film Awards honour films certified by the censor board from January 1 to December 31, 2022. The awards were determined by a jury panel comprising Dilip Kumar Pandey, Dr. Anurag Singh, Yatindra Mishra, Subhajit Mitra, Amol Bhave, and RV Udayakumar. The winners will be celebrated in a ceremony with President Droupadi Murmu in October 2024. Additionally, the recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award will be announced at a later date.

Talking of South cinema, the Malayalam audience especially fans of superstar Mammootty were left disappointed as the veteran actor did not receive any awards for his roles in the 2022 films Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam and Rorschach. Many of Mammootty's fans took to social media to express their dissatisfaction, claiming that the actor was overlooked due to the BJP-led NDA government. In response speaking to Manorama Online, M B Padmakumar said, "Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam, one of Mammootty's finest films released in 2022, was expected to be a strong contender for the National Awards. However, the truth is that not a single film starring Mammootty was submitted for consideration this year."