- Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision Limited
- A poster of the 2010 hit movie “Dabangg”.
The 58th National Film Awards were announced Thursday evening, with actor Salman Khan's 2010 hit film "Dabangg" – a story about a Robin Hood-like fearless cop – winning the award for the Best Popular Film for providing Wholesome Entertainment.
The award, which includes 200,000 rupees ($4,438) prize money, "answers the need of cine-goers for entertainment rooted in Indian soil," the jury said.
Malayalam film "Adaminte Makan Abu," directed and produced by Salim Ahamed, won Best Feature Film for being "a simple yet evocative articulation of humanist values that frees matters of faith from the constrictions of narrow parochialism," said the jury, which was headed by director and producer J.P. Dutta.
The award for the Best Actor was shared by Dhanush for his role in Tamil film "Aadukalam" and Salim Kumar in Malayalam film "Adaminte Makan Abu."
Singer Rekha Bharadwaj won the award for best female playback singer for her "sensual and evocative rendering of a heart longing for the beloved" in the film "Ishqiya", which was directed by her husband Vishal Bhardwaj.
The annual awards were launched in 1953 by the Directorate of Film Festivals and Government of India, with an aim of "encouraging the production of films [...]