Vice president M. Venkaiah Naidu presented the National Film Awards to all the winners on 23rd December at a function in New Delhi. Speaking on the occasion, he said that dissent was the essence of democracy. He appealed to the people of the nation to not be destructive or obstructive but think in terms of being constructive. He cautioned against instant justice.
Naidu also stressed the role of cinema in influencing minds and explained that filmmakers must make a conscious effort to ensure that film dialogues, depiction of characters and costumes reflected India’s culture, customs, practices and traditions. Akshay Kumar, Ayushmann Khurrana, Vicky Kaushal, Keerthy Suresh and Surekha Sikri were among the stars who received their awards in person. Amitabh Bachchan, who was given the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, could not attend as he was not in good health. Bachchan will now receive the award at the hands of President Ram Nath Kovind on 29th December when he will host all the winners.