| Number: | 46 |
| Award: | National Film Awards |
| Awarded For: | Best of Indian cinema in 1998 |
| Award Org: | Directorate of Film Festivals |
| Presenting Org: | K. R. Narayanan |
| Website: | dff.nic.in |
| Lifetime Achievement: | B. R. Chopra |
| Best Feature: | Samar |
| Best Non Feature: | In The Forest Hangs a Bridge |
| Best Book: | Cinemaee Bhasha Aur Hindi Samvadon Ka Vishleshan |
| Best Critic: | Meenakshi Shedde |
| Most Wins: | Godmother (6) |
| Last: | 45th |
| Next: | 47th |
The 46th National Film Awards, presented by Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India to felicitate the best of Indian Cinema released in the year 1998.[1] [2] [3] [4] Ceremony took place on 15 February 2000 and awards were given by then President of India, K. R. Narayanan.
Awards were divided into feature films, non-feature films and books written on Indian cinema.
Feature films were awarded at All India as well as regional level. For 46th National Film Awards, a Hindi film, Samar won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film, whereas another Hindi film, Godmother won the maximum number of awards (6). Following were the awards given in each category:[1] [2]
A committee headed by D. V. S. Raju was appointed to evaluate the feature films awards. Following were the jury members:[1]
Following were the awards given:[1] [2]
Official Name: Swarna Kamal[1] [2]
All the awardees are awarded with 'Golden Lotus Award (Swarna Kamal)', a certificate and cash prize.
| Name of Award | Name of Film | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best Feature Film | Samar | Hindi | Producer: Shyam Benegal, Sahyadri Films and NFDC director: Shyam Benegal | 50,000/- Each |
| Citation: For the innovative and human manner in which the director structures and presents a continuing social evil. | ||||
| Best Debut Film of a Director | Daya | Malayalam | Producer: C. K. Gopinath Director: Venu | 25,000/- Each |
| Citation: For its depiction of a delightful fairy-tale-like theme lending exotic sophistication and colour to the unique mosaic of creativity, imagination and style. | ||||
| Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment | Kuch Kuch Hota Hai | Hindi | Producer: Yash Johar Director: Karan Johar | 40,000/- Each |
| Citation: For the irresistible charm and universal appeal of its story, music, dance and performances. | ||||
| Best Children's Film | Kabhi Pass Kabhi Fail | Hindi | Producer: N'CYP Director: Virendra Saini | 30,000/- Each |
| Citation: For weaving an enchanting tale that can be enjoyed by children of all ages and drawing memorable performances from its large cast of characters. | ||||
| Best Direction | Janani | Malayalam | Rajeevnath | 50,000/- |
| Citation: For a warmly compassionate film where subject and treatment are in perfect harmony. | ||||
Official Name: Rajat Kamal[1] [2]
All the awardees are awarded with 'Silver Lotus Award (Rajat Kamal)', a certificate and cash prize.
| Name of Award | Name of Film | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best Feature Film on National Integration | Zakhm | Hindi | Producer: Pooja Bhatt Director: Mahesh Bhatt | 30,000/- Each |
| Citation: For boldly dealing with social and religious strife, communal tensions, violence and disharmony in contemporary times. The film has a message of love and peace that is conveyed in a sensitive way. | ||||
| Best Film on Family Welfare | Atmiyo Swajan | Bengali | Producer: Dhatri Films Director: Raja Sen | 30,000/- Each |
| Citation: For vividly portraying emotional and moral problems faced by an extended family wearing a rich tapestry of relationships, the film brings forth hope for the aged and celebrates life for the young. | ||||
| Best Film on Other Social Issues | Chinthavishtayaya Shyamala | Malayalam | Producer: C. Karunakaran Director: Sreenivasan | 30,000/- Each |
| Citation: For its strong theme of a woman's struggle against relentless difficulties heaped upon her by her worthless husband. Her ultimate success and emancipation prove to be socially inspiring. | ||||
| Best Film on Environment / Conservation / Preservation | Malli | Tamil | Producer: N'CYP Director: Santosh Sivan | 30,000/- Each |
| Citation: For its lucid and lyrical depiction of nature and the need to save the environmental assets which have made life on tris earth possible and beautiful. | ||||
| Best Actor | Zakhm | Hindi | Ajay Devgn | 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For his restrained and moving performance of an angry man exasperated with the failing system. | ||||
| Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar | English | Mammootty | ||
| Citation: For bringing to life a great national figure in a strong and memorable performance spanning several decades across three continents. | ||||
| Best Actress | Godmother | Hindi | Shabana Azmi | 10,000/- |
| Citation: For her dramatic and passionate portrayal of a woman forced to fight in a man's world. The actress lends a rare intensity and dignity to her portrayal as the victim forced to take the law into her hands she projects a wide range of intricate and complek emotions with ease and sincerity. Shabana Azmi flawlessly weaves expression, voice and body language and comes up with one of her most memorable performances to date. | ||||
| Best Supporting Actor | Satya | Hindi | Manoj Bajpai | 10,000/- |
| Citation: For his flawless performance of the eccentric underworld figure trapped in a system, cold blooded yet vulnerable at the same time. | ||||
| Best Supporting Actress | Hu Tu Tu | Hindi | Suhasini Mulay | 10,000/- |
| Citation: For bringing alive negative personality without losing her human face. She acts with conviction and comes up with a powerful performance. | ||||
| Best Child Artist | Malli | Tamil | P. Shwetha | 10,000/- |
| Citation: For her infectious and vibrant performance of a young child's pure bonding with nature and her trauma at the decadence in environment. | ||||
| Best Male Playback Singer | Godmother | Hindi | Sanjeev Abhyankar | 10,000/- |
| Citation: For the song in which he successfully blends folk, bhajan and popular music to communicate the lyrics effectively. | ||||
| Best Female Playback Singer | Kuch Kuch Hota Hai | Hindi | Alka Yagnik | 10,000/- |
| Citation: Her rendering of this theme song brings out the different moods and emotion and adds greatly to the impact of the film. | ||||
| Best Cinematography | Dil Se.. | Hindi | Cameraman Santosh Sivan | 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: His camera travels across spectacular landscapes and architecture and through bustling humanity with great seductive charm, colours and moods are created with equal ease in a film which sets a high standard of cinematic perfection. | ||||
| Best Screenplay | Samar | Hindi | Ashok Mishra | 10,000/- |
| Citation: For Hindi film Samar where he has used a unique structure to ekplore the complek contradictions of urban/rural, rich/poor, pcwerful/dcwntrodden in a simple story line laced with poignant Moments of humour and irony for a perceptive insight into contemporary indian life. | ||||
| Best Audiography | Dil Se.. | Hindi | H. Sridhar | 10,000/- |
| Citation: For capturing sounds as varied as the visuals and creating an unusual rhytham on the sound track. | ||||
| Best Editing | Godmother | Hindi | Renu Saluja | 10,000/- |
| Citation: For her smart slick and innovative editing adds an artistic touch to the film. her pacing of the cuts enhance the emotions and sound overlaps lend a remarkable lucidity to the narration. | ||||
| Best Art Direction | Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar | English | Nitin Chandrakant Desai | 10,000/- |
| Citation: The film covers a large time span from the pre-electricity age to post independence India. The scene, both indoor and outdoor move effortlessly around rural, urban, Indian and foreign locales and blur the distinction between sets and locations – with the aid of faultless camerawork, the art direction almost single handedly creates the entire period mood and feel of the film. | ||||
| Best Costume Design | Daya | Malayalam | S. B. Satheesan | 10,000/- |
| Citation: For a fantasy without any concrete reference to known periods, locales or styles – the film achieves a high quality design integrity. The use of fabrics, weaves and prints are superbly executed and leave a lasting impression. | ||||
| Best Music Direction | Godmother | Hindi | Vishal Bhardwaj | 10,000/- |
| Citation: For the Hindi film Godmother where the narrative of the film and the music bring about an excellent blend of folk and modern music. It retains the fragrance of the soil of Gujarat. | ||||
| Best Lyrics | Godmother | Hindi | Javed Akhtar | 10,000/- |
| Citation: For the authentic blend of dialect and emotion. a song of patriotism and passion, the lyrics are lucid and thought provoking. | ||||
| Best Special Effects | Jeans | Tamil | S. T. Venki | 10,000/- |
| Citation: For his extremely innovative and spectacular special effects created on computor. The animation of the twin characters is fascinating and intriguing. | ||||
| Best Choreography | Daya | Malayalam | Brinda | 10,000/- |
| Citation: For the spirited and novel adaptation of an Arabic dance. | ||||
| Special Jury Award | Kichhhu Sanlap Kichhu Pralap | Bengali | Drishyakavya (Producer) Ashoke Viswanathan (Director) | 12,500/- Each |
| Citation: The film is extra-ordinary in its experimental effort and works as a satire on our value system dominated by the pseudo intellectuals. | ||||
| Special Mention | Kante Koothurne Kanu | Telugu | Dasari Narayana Rao (Producer and Director) | Certificate Only |
| Citation: For taking a stand on gender discrimination. | ||||
| Anthapuram | Telugu | Prakash Raj (Actor) | ||
| Citation: For his wholesome performance of the obsessive feudal lord still, living in medieval times. | ||||
| Kannezhuthi Pottum Thottu | Malayalam | Manju Warrier (Actress) | ||
| Citation: For her subdued and consistence performance in several films entered for the awards. | ||||
The award is given to best film in the regional languages in India.[1] [2]
| Name of Award | Name of Film | Awardee(s) | Cash Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Feature Film in Assamese | Kuhkal | Producer: Dolphin Communications Director: Jahnu Barua | 20,000/- Each |
| Citation: For its authentic portrayal of a historical event of british india. | |||
| Best Feature Film in Bengali | Asukh | Producer: D. Ramanaidu Director: Rituparno Ghosh | 20,000/- Each |
| Citation: For profiling the dilemma of a film actress, at a delicate point in her life. Rejected by her lover in love with another woman, asukh is an internalised study of an actress coming to terms with multiple pressures in her life. | |||
| Best Feature Film in Hindi | Godmother | Producer: Gramco Films Director: Vinay Shukla | 20,000/- Each |
| Citation: The films deals with contemporary power structure and confronts violence, corruption and passions with ease. The music, art direction and the dialogues combine to create a strong ethnic character setting a new trend in popular Indian cinema. | |||
| Best Feature Film in Kannada | Hoomale | Producer: K. S. Usha Rao Director: Nagathihalli Chandrashekar | 20,000/- Each |
| Citation: For its strong statement about a widow surmounting severe trials in an unfamiliar land and circumstances and finding love against a background of terrorism. | |||
| Best Feature Film in Malayalam | Agnisakshi | Producer: Srishti Films Director: Shyamaprasad | 20,000/- Each |
| Citation: It authentically deals with the social ambience prevailing among the brahmin community ages ago. The story unfolded through the bold adventures of one brahmin woman – Thethi – who finally takes to Sanyas. | |||
| Best Feature Film in Marathi | Tu Tithe Mee | Producer: Smita Talwalkar Director: Sanjay Surkar | 20,000/- Each |
| Citation: For shedding light on the plight of the old and the ageing and the crumbling of the joint family system in a novel and entertaining format of a love story. Beautiful performance by Mohan Joshi and Suhas Joshi are the highlights of the film. | |||
| Best Feature Film in Oriya | Nandan | Producer: N'CYP Director: Apurba Kishore Bir | 20,000/- Each |
| Citation: For its simple story and realistic milieu. Nandan portrays the aspiration of a poor child and the constraints of his parents in fulfilling them. The triumph of family values and love over material gloss has universal appeal. | |||
| Best Feature Film in Punjabi | Shaheed-E-Mohabbat | Producer: Manjeet Maan Director: Manoj Punj | 20,000/- Each |
| Citation: For its sensitive depiction of pain and sorrow perpetrated by the partition of India on Boota Singh, excellently portrayed by Gurdas Maan, the films reflects the aftermath of a tragedy delivers a message of love and humanity reaching far beyond the man made borders. | |||
| Best Feature Film in Tamil | Housefull | Producer: Bioscope Film Framers Director: R. Parthiepan | 20,000/- Each |
| Citation: For telling the story of a theatre manager and his passionate bonding with his audience. A bomb is discovered in the theatre bharat talkies during show time but removed in the nick of time saving the lives of those in the audience. In denouncing violence, the film makes a strong statement against terrorism. | |||
| Best Feature Film in Telugu | Tholi Prema | Producer: G. V. G. Raju Director: A. Karunakaran | 20,000/- Each |
| Citation: For an unusual love story about two friends who confess their feelings for each other at the end of the film, which is a break from the run-of-the-mill film. | |||
Best Feature Film in Each of the Language Other Than Those Specified in the Schedule VIII of the Constitution
| Name of Award | Name of Film | Awardee(s) | Cash Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Feature Film in English | Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar | Producer: Government of India and Government of Maharashtra Director: Jabbar Patel | 20,000/- Each |
| Citation: For an authentic and well researched biographical film which probes the political and social aspects of the life of one of the greatest leaders of India. | |||
Short Films made in any Indian language and certified by the Central Board of Film Certification as a documentary/newsreel/fiction are eligible for non-feature film section.
A committee headed by Shaji N. Karun was appointed to evaluate the non-feature films awards. Following were the jury members:[1]
Official Name: Swarna Kamal[1] [3]
All the awardees are awarded with 'Golden Lotus Award (Swarna Kamal)', a certificate and cash prize.
| Name of Award | Name of Film | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best Non-Feature Film | In The Forest Hangs a Bridge | English | Producer: Sanjay Kak Director: Sanjay Kak | 20,000/- Each |
| Citation: For the excellent cinematic documentation of the triumph of the collective spirit of human endeavour. | ||||
Official Name: Rajat Kamal[1] [3]
All the awardees are awarded with 'Silver Lotus Award (Rajat Kamal)' and cash prize.
| Name of Award | Name of Film | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best First Non-Feature Film | Repentance | Malayalam | Producer: Mohan Agashe Films Division Director: Rajeev Raj | 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For exploring new forms of cinematic expression and images. | ||||
| Best Anthropological / Ethnographic Film | Kherwal Parab | Santali | Producer: Sankar Rakshit Director: Sankar Rakshit | 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For offering an insider's view into Santhal rites and rituals with authenticity and honesty. | ||||
| Best Biographical Film | Premji' – Ithihasathinte Sparsam Unarvinte Kalam – M.R.B. | Malayalam | Producer: Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Director: M. R. Rajan | 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For an insightful voyage into the meaningful and exemplary lives of Premji and M.R.B., two legendary social reformers. | ||||
| Best Arts / Cultural Film | A Painter of Eloquent Silence: Ganesh Pyne | English | Producer: Buddhadeb Dasgupta Director: Buddhadeb Dasgupta | 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For a moving tribute from one artist to another and an appreciation of a painter's hidden expression. | ||||
| Best Environment / Conservation / Preservation Film | Willing To Sacrifice | English | Producer: Dayakar Rao Director: B. V. Rao | 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For an honest portrayal of the sacred convictions of a people for whom conservation is a way of life. | ||||
| Best Historical Reconstruction / Compilation Film | Anna Vaazhigirar | Tamil | Producer: Tamil Nadu Films Division Director: Tamil Nadu Films Division | 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For integrating various cinematic forms to present a strong portrait of Annadurai. | ||||
| Best Film on Social Issues | Malli | Tamil | Producer: Film and TV Institute of Tamil Nadu Director: R. Madhava Krisshnan | 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For its original reflection on the subject of sex-workers. | ||||
| Best Educational / Motivational / Instructional Film | Silent Scream | English | Producer: Vivek K. Kumar Director: Vikram K. Kumar | 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For its daring attempt to shake people out of their apathy towards youth in distress. | ||||
| Best Exploration / Adventure Film | Malana – In Search Of | English | Producer: Neo Films Director: Vivek Mohan | 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For its in-depth and detailed unearthing of a people isolated in time. | ||||
| Best Investigative Film | Saga of Darkness | Bengali | Producer: Creative Image Director: Gautam Sen | 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For its courageous expose of an inhuman practice and state apathy. | ||||
| Best Animation Film | Education Only Her Future | Only Music | Producer: Arun Gongade Films Division Director: Arun Gongade Films Division Animator: Arun Gongade Films Division | 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For its imaginative use of technique to make a strong statement for the education of the girl-child. | ||||
| Best Short Fiction Film | Jee Karta Tha | Hindi | Producer: Mohan Agashe Films Division Director: Hansa Thapliyal | 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For its brilliant originality in delineating a small town milieu and in evolving a new cinematic idiom. | ||||
| Best Film on Family Welfare | N. M. No. 367 – Sentence of Silence | English | Producer: Y. N. Engineer Films Division Director: Joshy Joseph Films Division | 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For its strong redefining of the family ethos in changing social circumstances of the Indian christian community. | ||||
| Best Cinematography | In The Forest Hangs a Bridge | English | Cameraman Ranjan Palit | 10,000/- Each |
| Citation: For his perception of images to define a style that illustrates the harmony in the film. | ||||
| Best Audiography | Kumar Talkies | Hindi | Satheesh P. M. | 10,000/- |
| Citation: For a sound design which evokes a vision of an era fading away. | ||||
| Best Editing | In The Forest Hangs a Bridge | English | Reena Mohan | 10,000/- |
| Citation: For weaving a narrative imbued with lyricism of life. | ||||
| Best Music Direction | A Painter of Eloquent Silence: Ganesh Pyne | English | Biswadeb Dasgupta | 10,000/- |
| Citation: For enriching the visuals with a contemplative sense of rhythm. | ||||
| Special Jury Award | Faqir | Hindi | Pawan Malhotra (Actor) | 10,000/- |
| Citation: For superb restraint in portraying of Innocence, in Gautom Ghose's film Faqir. | ||||
| Special Mention | Jee Karta Tha | Hindi | Unni Vijayan (Director) | Certificate Only |
| Citation: For his realisation of an innovative and a personalised style of constructing the film. | ||||
The awards aim at encouraging study and appreciation of cinema as an art form and dissemination of information and critical appreciation of this art-form through publication of books, articles, reviews etc.
A committee headed by M. T. Vasudevan Nair was appointed to evaluate the writing on Indian cinema. Following were the jury members:[1]
Official Name: Swarna Kamal[1] [4]
All the awardees are awarded with 'Golden Lotus Award (Swarna Kamal)' and cash prize.
| Name of Award | Name of Book | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best Book on Cinema | Cinemaee Bhasha Aur Hindi Samvadon Ka Vishleshan | Hindi | Author: Kishore Vaswani Publisher: Hindi Book Centre | 15,000/- Each |
| Citation: For its taking on a new area of study, and for its original analysis of the evolution of language in Hindi cinema, drawing links with Indian theatre and literature. | ||||
| Best Film Critic | English | Meenakshi Shedde | 15,000/- | |
| Citation: For her lucid and objective criticism. She goes beyond the evaluation of a film in her attempt to place it in its social milieu, and her work reflects a good grasp of the aesthetics of cinema. | ||||
All the award winners are awarded with Certificate of Merit.[1] [4]
| Name of Award | Name of Book | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Special Mention (Book on Cinema) | Communication Cinema Development | English | Author: Gaston Roberge | Certificate Only |
| Citation: For his book Communication Cinema Development which brings a multidisciplinary approach to bear on the subject of film. | ||||
Following were the awards not given as no film was found to be suitable for the award:[1] [2] [3] [4]