The 69th National Film Awards announced yesterday threw up some surprises. Alia Bhatt and Kriti Sanon shared the Best Actress honours for their performances in Gangubai Kathiawadi and Mimi respectively. Allu Arjun bagged the Best Actor award for Pushpa: The Rise. Shoojit Sircar’s Sardar Udham won in the Best Hindi Film category, R Madhavan’s Rocketry: The Nambi Effect won the Best Feature, while SS Rajamouli’s RRR triumphed as the Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. Vivek Agnihotri’s The Kashmir Files won the Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration. Gangubai Kathiawadi and Sardar Udham bagged five awards each, while RRR won six. Pankaj Tripathi won the Best Supporting Actor for Mimi, and Pallavi Joshi won the Best Supporting Actress for The Kashmir Files. Tripathi, who lost his father earlier this week, said, “If Babuji were around, he’d have been very happy for me. When I first got the National Award mention, he was very proud and pleased. I dedicate my win to my father and his spirit. I am who I am because of him.” Esha Deol’s short on female foeticide, Ek Duaa, won in the Non-Feature Films category. 

Dig that!