The names of former Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi and late actress Nargis Dutt will not be used at the prestigious National Film Awards ceremony. The Regulations of the 70th National Film Awards 2022 on Tuesday (February 13) notified that the Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film has undergone a name change and will now be referred to as the Best Debut Film of a Director.
As per the notice issued by the committee overseeing the awards, the Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration has been renamed as the Best Feature Film Promoting National, Social and Environmental Values. The new title will combine categories related to social issues and environmental conservation.
All you need to know about Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration
The award was instituted in the 1965, at 13th National Film Awards to honour the late actress. It was awarded annually for films produced in the year, in all Indian languages. Reportedly, the award included cash prize and a Rajat Kamal (silver lotus).
Several media reports state that The National Film Awards honoured the actress by instituting the Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration upon her achievement in Hindi Cinema.
The veteran star won the National Film Award for Best Actress for the 1967 Raat Aur Din. She was undoubtedly one of the most talented actors the Indian screen has ever had. With her work, on and off-screen, Nargis has sealed her place in the annals of Indian history and the hearts and minds of millions of Indians.
In a career that spanned three decades, Nargis appeared in numerous commercially successful as well as critically acclaimed films, many of which featured her alongside actor Raj Kapoor. Some of her notable films include Andaz, Barsaat, Awaara, Shri 420, Mother India and others.
Nargis passed away on May 3, 1981, of pancreatic cancer, only three days before her son Sanjay Dutt made his Bollywood debut with Rocky.
Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film
On the other hand, Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film was instituted in 1980, at 28th National Film Awards. It included a Golden Lotus Award (Swarna Kamal) and cash prize of Rs 1.25 lakh.
The last Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film was given to Unni Mukundan's Malayalam film Meppadiyan in 2021.
