21st National Film Awards
The 21st 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 1973. Ceremony took place in October 1974 and awards were given by then Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi.
Juries
Prior to 21st National Film Awards, there used to be regional committees at Bombay, Calcutta and Madras, the recommendations of which were then considered by central committee. To avoid this long-winded process, regional committees were discarded.Two different committees were formed for feature films and short films, headed by Romesh Thapar and S. K. Kooka respectively.
- Jury Members: Feature Films
- * Romesh Thapar Usha BhagatTeji BachchanIsmat ChughtaiM. Yunus DehlviAshis Burman
- * Firoze RangoonwallaDina PathakB. V. KaranthT. S. PillaiT. K. MahadevanJ. Swaminathan
- * Dileep PadgaonkarSubodh MukherjeeU. Visweswar RawAsim PaulTarun MajumdarAnanta Patnaik
- * Illindula Saraswathi DeviM. BhaktavatsalaSai ParanjpyeK. R. K. MenonO. V. Vijayan
- Jury Members: Short Films
- * S. K. Kooka Balwant GargiNalni SoniKomal Kothari
Awards
President's Gold Medal for the All India Best Feature Film is now better known as National Film Award for Best Feature Film, whereas President's Gold Medal for the Best Documentary Film is analogous to today's National Film Award for Best Non-Feature Film. For children's films, Prime Minister's Gold Medal is now given as National Film Award for Best Children's Film. At the regional level, President's Silver Medal for Best Feature Film is now given as National Film Award for Best Feature Film in a particular language. Certificate of Merit in all the categories is discontinued over the years.
Lifetime Achievement Award
| Award | Awardee | Awarded As | Cash Prize |
| Dadasaheb Phalke Award | Ruby Myers | Actress | 20,000, a Gold medal and a shawl |
Feature films
Feature films were awarded at All India as well as regional level. For 21st National Film Awards, a Malayalam film Nirmalyam won the President's Gold Medal for the All India Best Feature Film; whereas a Bengali film Ashani Sanket and a Kannada film Kaadu won the maximum number of awards. Following were the awards given in each category:All India Award
Following were the awards given:| Award | Film | Language | Awardee | Cash Prize |
| Best Feature Film | Nirmalyam | Malayalam | Producer: M. T. Vasudevan Nair | Gold Medal and 40,000 |
| Best Feature Film | Nirmalyam | Malayalam | Director: M. T. Vasudevan Nair | Gold Medal and 40,000 |
| Second Best Feature Film | Kaadu | Kannada | Producer: K. N. Narayan | Silver Medal and 15,000 |
| Second Best Feature Film | Kaadu | Kannada | Producer: G. N. Lakshmipathy | Silver Medal and 15,000 |
| Second Best Feature Film | Kaadu | Kannada | Director: Girish Karnad | Silver Medal and 10,000 |
| Best Feature Film on National Integration | Garm Hava | Hindi | Producer: M/s Unit 3 MM | A Medal and 30,000 |
| Best Feature Film on National Integration | Garm Hava | Hindi | Director: M. S. Sathyu | A Medal and 20,000 |
| Best Cinematography | 27 Down | Hindi | Apurba Kishore Bir | Silver Medal and 5,000 |
| Best Cinematography | Ashani Sanket | Bengali | Soumendu Roy | Silver Medal and 5,000 |
| Best Direction | Duvidha | Hindi | Mani Kaul | Silver Medal and 20,000 |
| Best Actor | Nirmalyam | Malayalam | P. J. Antony | A figurine |
| Best Actress | Kaadu | Kannada | Nandini Bhaktavatsala | A figurine |
| Best Child Artist | Kaadu | Kannada | G. S. Nataraj | Silver Medal |
| Best Male Playback Singer | Gayathri | Malayalam | K. J. Yesudas | Silver Medal |
| Best Music Direction | Ashani Sanket | Bengali | Satyajit Ray | Silver Medal and 10,000 |
| Best Screenplay | Padatik | Bengali | Mrinal Sen | Silver Medal and 10,000 |
| Best Screenplay | Padatik | Bengali | Ashish Burman | Silver Medal and 10,000 |
| Best Story | Garm Hava | Hindi | Ismat Chughtai | Silver Medal and 10,000 |
| Best Story | Garm Hava | Hindi | Kaifi Azmi | Silver Medal and 10,000 |
Regional Award
The awards were given to the best films made in the regional languages of India. For feature films in English, Gujarati, Kashmiri, Meitei, Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi and Telugu language, President's Silver Medal for Best Feature Film was not given. The producer of the film was awarded with a Silver medal and 10,000, the director of the film was awarded with a Silver medal and 5,000, and leading actors were awarded with a souvenir.Non-Feature films
Following were the awards given:Short films and Documentaries
| Award | Film | Language | Awardee | Cash Prize |
| Best Information Film | The Flame Burns Bright | English | Producer: Ashish Mukherjee | Silver Medal and 5,000 |
| Best Information Film | The Flame Burns Bright | English | Director: Ashish Mukherjee | Silver Medal and 5,000 |
| Best Educational / Instructional Film | Sath Kutch Na Jayega | Hindi | Producer: Dhiru Mistry | Silver Medal and 5,000 |
| Best Educational / Instructional Film | Sath Kutch Na Jayega | Hindi | Director: Sureshwar Singh | Silver Medal and 5,000 |
| Best Film on Social Documentation | Land of Krishna | English | Producer: G. L. Bhardwaj | Silver Medal and 5,000 |
| Best Film on Social Documentation | Land of Krishna | English | Director: G. L. Bhardwaj | Silver Medal and 5,000 |
| Best Promotional Film | Delhi the City Beautiful | English | Producer: Jagdish Banerjee | Silver Medal |
| Best Promotional Film | Delhi the City Beautiful | English | Director: Jagdish Banerjee | Silver Medal |
| Best Promotional Film | Fibre The Fabric of Life | English | Producer: Khadi and Village Industries Commission | Silver Medal |
| Best Promotional Film | Fibre The Fabric of Life | English | Director: G. L. Bhardwaj | Silver Medal |
| Best Experimental Film | Homi Bhabha - A Scientist in Action | English | Producer: Jagat Murari | Silver Medal and 5,000 |
| Best Experimental Film | Homi Bhabha - A Scientist in Action | English | Director: K. Vishwanath | Silver Medal and 4,000 |
Awards not given
Following were the awards not given as no film was found to be suitable for the award:- Best Film on Family Welfare
- Best Children's Film
- Lyric Writer of the Best Film Song on National Integration
- Best Female Playback Singer
- Best Animation Film
- President's Silver Medal for Best Feature Film in English
- President's Silver Medal for Best Feature Film in Manipuri
- President's Silver Medal for Best Feature Film in Marathi
- President's Silver Medal for Best Feature Film in Oriya
- President's Silver Medal for Best Feature Film in Punjabi
- President's Silver Medal for Best Feature Film in Telugu
Explanatory notes