The 70th National Film Awards ceremony was held today at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, with the awards presented by President Droupadi Murmu. Celebrating the best cinematic work of 2022, the prestigious event recognised A. R. Rahman in the category of Best Music (Background Score) for the film Ponniyin Selvan I.

This accolade marks A. R. Rahman's second National Award in the Background Score category and his seventh overall. Speaking on the red carpet about the recognition, Rahman expressed his gratitude, saying, "This one feels like coming full circle. I received my first award for Roja, which was with them. This award is also for a Mani Ratnam film. I feel very proud. He's also here."

A. R. Rahman and filmmaker Mani Ratnam have a long-standing collaboration, having worked together on numerous iconic films such as Thiruda Thiruda, Bombay, Dil Se, Alaipayuthey, Guru, Raavanan, and O Kadhal Kanmani. The duo is set to reunite for the upcoming film Thug Life, starring Kamal Haasan.

In addition to Rahman’s win, the National Film Awards recognised several other prominent talents. Rishab Shetty took home the Best Actor award for his performance in Kantara, while Nithya Menen and Manasi Parekh shared the Best Actress award for their roles in Tiruchitrabalam and Kutch Express, respectively. Other notable winners include Sooraj Barjatya for Best Director, Neena Gupta for Best Supporting Actress, and Pawan Malhotra for Best Supporting Actor.

Congratulations to all the winners!

Source / Image Credit : Times of India , Gulf News