70th National Film Awards: South cinemas sweep top honours; Rishab Shetty wins best actor for 'Kantara'

Malayalam movie 'Aattam: The Play' bagged National Film Award for best feature film. Best actress award has been shared by Nithya Menen for 'Thiruchitrambalam' and Manasi Parekh for 'Kutch Express'.

New Delhi: Director-actor Rishab Shetty bagged the best actor award for his performance in Kannada blockbuster Kantara as regional movies dominated the National Film Award 2022.

Malayalam movie Aattam was adjudged the best film while Nithya Menen shared the best actress award for Tamil movie Thiruchitrambalam with Manasi Parekh for Gujarati movie Kutch Express.

Sooraj R Barjatya was named the best director for Unchai while Kantara, which Shetty directed besides playing the dual role, also bagged the award for best popular film providing wholesome entertainment.

Another hit movie KGF-2 bagged the best Kannada film award, while Anbumani and Arivumani, jointly known as Anbariv, bagged the award for best stunt choreography for his work in this movie.

Kannada feature films had drawn a blank in the National Film Awards for 2021.

Non-feature films from Kannada also made space in the National Award list. Basant Dinesh Shenoy was chosen as the best debut director in non-feature film section for Madhyantara (Intermission) while Ranga Vibhoga directed by Suneel Narasimachar Puranik won the best arts/culture non-feature film along Varsa (Legacy) in Marathi directed by Sachin Suryawanshi.

Malayalam and Tamil movies bagged five awards each in feature film category while Kannada films won three awards.

Late music maestro Salil Chowdhury's son Sanjoy Salil Chowdhury won a special mention for music direction in Malayalam movie Kadhikan while Manoj Bajpayee got special mention for his acting in Gulmohar, which was also adjudged the best Hindi film.

Bollywood had only one big award in Barjatya winning the award for best director. Unchai, centred on four ageing friends readying to scale Mt Everest, also won Neena Gupta a best supporting actress prize.

The best supporting actor went to Pavan Malhotra, who acted in Haryanvi film Fouja, which also won best debutant director award for Pramod Kumar and best lyrics award for Naushad Sadar Khan.

A R Rahman won the best music director award for background music in Mani Ratnam's Ponniyin Selvan-Part 1, which was also named the best Tamil film. Pritam got the award for best music director (songs) for Brahmastra-Part 1 while Arijit Singh was named the best male playback singer for the song Kesariya from the same film.

Veteran singer Bombay Jayashri won the award for best female playback singer for the track Chaayum Veyil for Malayalam movie Saudi Vellaka CC 225/2009.

Ravi Varman bagged the best cinematography for Ratnam's Ponniyin Selvan, which also took the honour for best sound design for Anand Krishnamoorthi.