69th National Film Awards: Sanjay Leela Bhansali earns his 7th National award with 'Gangubai Kathiawadi'

At the 69th National Film Awards that were announced on August 24, Alia Bhatt won the National award for Best Actress for her performance in Gangubai Kathiawadi as an aspiring actress who becomes a sex worker after a mishap and deceit. With this, Sanjay Leela Bhansali earned his 7th National award in his 27 (and counting) years as a filmmaker.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Gangubai Kathiawadi has won the National Award in 5 major categories and took home the award for Best Editing. Moreover, the film also took home the award for Best Screenplay (Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Utkarshini Vashishtha) and an award for Best Dialogue ( Utkarshini Vashishtha and Prakash Kapadia), and for Best Makeup to Preetisheel Singh D’souza.

With this, the filmmaker becomes the 7-time National award winner. Previously, Bhansali won National awards in 2002 for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment (Devdas), in 2005 for Best Feature Film in Hindi (Black), in 2014 for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment (Mary Kom), in 2015 for Best Director, Bajirao Mastani, in 2018 for Best Music Director (Padmaavat) and now in 2023 for Best Screenplay and Best Editor (Gangubai Kathiawadi).

Bhansali on Gangubai Kathiawadi’s win

Reacting to the film’s big wins, Sanjay Leela Bhansali said, “It’s a great moment for us. It’s a great day for us and I feel all our hard work has finally paid off. It’s a film we believed in and I’m very happy I made the film. I’m very happy Alia acted in the film and Ajay Devgn and all the other great actors who have acted in the film and all the technicians…it’s a very happy moment for all of us. We have worked all through the lockdown and COVID so it’s always special.”

After premiering at the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival last year, Bhansali’s ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ went on to become the first bonafide Hindi-language blockbuster in 2022.