As you must already be aware that the Indian Government conducts an awards ceremony every year to honour the best of Indian cinema. They are known as the prestigious and sought-after National Film Awards. And out of these National Film Awards, the Golden Lotus category covers the ‘Best Film’, ‘Best Director’, ‘Best Popular Film’, ‘Best Children’s Film’, ‘Best Debut Film of a Director’, and ‘Best Animated Film’ categories.
For this article, we have compiled a list of five National Award-winning films from the Golden Lotus category which you can stream on various Indian OTT platforms. We have tried to include a mix of various genre films from several years for the sake of variety. Happy Bingeing.
Dhanak, 2015 (Streaming on Netflix, Mubi)
Helmed by Nagesh Kukunoor of ‘Iqbal’ and ‘Dor’ fame, the Rajasthan-set drama revolves around the endearing relationship between a 10-year-old girl Pari and her lively younger brother who cannot see. After an incident, Pari gets motivated to travel with her brother across the State to meet Shah Rukh Khan as she believes that the superstar can help her brother get his eyesight. The film won the ‘Best Children’s Film’ National Award.
Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!, 2008 (Streaming on Netflix)
The film revolves around a poor boy who grows up to become a charismatic and fearless thief (played by the ever-dependable Abhay Deol) and how he outwits the cops to get away with his amusing misdeeds. It was directed by accomplished filmmaker Dibakar Banerjee, who eventually went on to direct commendable films like ‘Detective Byomkesh Bakshi’ and ‘Shanghai’. The film won the ‘Best Popular Film’ National Award.
Village Rockstars, 2017 (Streaming on Netflix)
The Assamese language movie helmed by Rima Das follows the story of a 10-year-old girl named Dhunu (played by Bhanita Das), who lives in a village in Assam with her widowed mother and elder brother. Despite all her struggles and hardships, she dreams of having her own rock band and owning a real guitar. Whether or not she is able to fulfil her dream forms the film’s crux. The movie won the ‘Best Feature Film’ award.
Court, 2015 (Streaming on Netflix)
If you are in the mood of watching an offbeat and slice-of-life film that explores the legal system through the lens of the trial of an aging activist (played by Late actor Vira Sathidar), then this film is for you. Helmed by Chaitanya Tamhane, ‘Court’ went on to win the National Award for the ‘Best Feature Film’ category. Moreover, it was also selected as India’s official entry for the Oscars.
Masaan, 2015 (Streaming on Disney+ Hotstar, Netflix, Zee5, Mubi)
Neeraj Ghaywan’s intense and hard-hitting drama narrates two intersecting stories comprising four main characters and is set amidst the backdrop of the holy city of Varanasi. The first story revolves around a daughter (Richa Chadha) and her father (Sanjay Mishra) being blackmailed by a cop. While the second story follows a poor man (Vicky Kaushal), who falls in love with a girl (Shweta Sharma) who belongs to a different caste. The film won the ‘Best Debut Director’ award for Neeraj Ghaywan.
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