| Number: | 20 |
| Award: | Filmfare Awards |
| Date: | 21 April 1973[1] |
| Site: | Bombay |
| Best Film: | Be-Imaan |
| Most Wins: | Be-Imaan (7) |
| Most Nominations: | Amar Prem & Be-Imaan (8) |
| Best Actor: | Manoj Kumar for Be-Imaan |
| Best Actress: | Hema Malini for Seeta Aur Geeta |
| Last: | 19th |
| Next: | 21st |
The 20th Filmfare Awards were held in 1973, awarding the films made in 1972.
Amar Prem and Be-Imaan led the ceremony with 8 nominations, followed by Shor with 7 nominations and Pakeezah with 5 nominations.
Be-Imaan won 7 awards, including Best Film, Best Director (for Sohanlal Kanwar), Best Actor (for Manoj Kumar) and Best Supporting Actor (for Pran), thus becoming the most-awarded film at the ceremony.
Rajesh Khanna received dual nominations for Best Actor for his performances in Amar Prem and Dushmun, but lost to Manoj Kumar who won the award for Be-Imaan.
At the ceremony, Meena Kumari earned a then record-setting twelfth and final nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for her performance in the period musical romantic drama Pakeezah after her death in March 1972. Despite being highly favored to win the award, she controversially lost the award to Hema Malini who won her first and only award in the category for her comic dual role in the comedy-drama Seeta Aur Geeta.
Pran, who won Best Supporting Actor for Be-Imaan refused to accept the award, on the grounds that the Best Music Director award should have gone to Ghulam Mohammed for Pakeezah, and not Shankar-Jaikishan for Be-Imaan.
Sohanlal Kanwar – Be-Imaan
Zeenat Aman – Hare Rama Hare Krishna
Amar Prem – Arabinda Mukhopadhyay
Amar Prem – Ramesh Pant
Be-Imaan – Verma Malik for Jai Bolo Be-Imaan Ki
Be-Imaan – Mukesh for Jai Bolo Be-Imaan Ki
Hare Rama Hare Krishna – Asha Bhosle for Dum Maro Dum
Nine Months to Freedom
Meena Kumari not winning an award for her performance in Pakeezah stirred controversy at the 20th Filmfare Awards. Filmfare, however, defended their decision by stating that according to their rules, posthumous awards were not allowed then;[3] Filmfare editor B. K. Karanjia said both Ghulam Mohammad (the music director of Pakeezah) and Josef Wirsching (cinematographer) lost for the same reason.
Years later, in an interview, veteran actress Rakhee Gulzar revealed that initially she was offered the award for Best actress which she declined, as she considered her performance to be mediocre as earlier, she was devoid of the award for her performance in Sharmilee.[4]