Indian President Ram Nath Kovind presented the 65th National Film Awards to recipients for the Indian entertainment industry. As he wished the 125 award winners for their efforts and contribution to the industry, Kovind mentioned two awardees, Sridevi and Vinod Khanna who were honoured at the ceremony posthumously.&nbsp;

He said, “Unfortunately Sridevi who was awarded Best Actress for her role in MOM and Vinod Khanna who was given Dadasaheb Phalke Award for his lifetime contribution, we miss them today and we will miss them forever.”

He continued, “There are timeless films, &nbsp;so many come to my mind like Mere Apne, Lamhe that were more than just box office successes, they captured our emotions.”

Remembering the two veteran actors, Kovind said, “ When they passed away, for millions of film lovers, the loss seemed personal. Their fans and followers can be found all over the country. This is the beauty of cinema, &nbsp;our film industry unites us as few others do.”

The National Film Awards came under fire when 68 awardees <a href="http://cmsuat.wionews.com/india-news/entertainment-national-film-awards-2018-68-winners-skip-ceremony-janhvi-kapoor-a-r-rahman-attend-134403">boycotted the ceremony</a> and skipped it as they got to know that the President, unlike all previous years, will only be presenting the award to 11 winners while the others will be presented the award by the Minister of I&B, Smriti Irani.&nbsp;

Sridevi and Vinod Khanna were awarded National Award posthumously today.

Indian President Ram Nath Kovind presented the 65th National Film Awards to recipients for the Indian entertainment industry. As he wished the 125 award winners for their efforts and contribution to the industry, Kovind mentioned two awardees, Sridevi and Vinod Khanna who were honoured at the ceremony posthumously. He said, “Unfortunately Sridevi who was awarded Best Actress for her role in MOM and Vinod Khanna who was given Dadasaheb Phalke Award for his lifetime contribution, we miss them today and we will miss them forever.” He continued, “There are timeless films, so many come to my mind like Mere Apne, Lamhe that were more than just box office successes, they captured our emotions.” Remembering the two veteran actors, Kovind said, “ When they passed away, for millions of film lovers, the loss seemed personal. Their fans and followers can be found all over the country. This is the beauty of cinema, our film industry unites us as few others do.” The National Film Awards came under fire when 68 awardees boycotted the ceremony and skipped it as they got to know that the President, unlike all previous years, will only be presenting the award to 11 winners while the others will be presented the award by the Minister of I&B, Smriti Irani.

'We will miss them forever,' President says of Sridevi, Vinod Khanna at National Film Awards

As the 65th National Film Awards were given out today, 68 recipients skipped the ceremony. In an<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/entertainment-national-film-award-winners-threaten-to-skip-ceremony-as-president-to-felicitate-only-11-awardees-134340"> open letter</a>, 60 award winners wrote about being "disheartened" after they got to know that only 11 award winners will be presented the award by President Ram Nath Kovind while others will be handed over the coveted prize by I&B Minister Smriti Irani.&nbsp;Unlike all previously held ceremonies, the Indian President reportedly did not have time for awarding all winners and has been able to take out only an hour’s time. <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/entertainment-national-film-awards-2018-who-will-be-awarded-what-today-134346">Also </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/entertainment-national-film-awards-2018-who-will-be-awarded-what-today-134346">Read:</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/entertainment-national-film-awards-2018-who-will-be-awarded-what-today-134346"> The complete list of winners of the 65th National Film Awards.&nbsp;</a>

A Rashtrapati Bhavan told a daily that the President would have very little time for the event. He said, "This has been conveyed to all ministries and departments. This has been the standard practice through the presidency of Ram Nath Kovind. The only exceptions are occasions like the Republic Day Parade."

Those boycotting the event include K&nbsp;J Yesudas who won Best&nbsp;Male Playback Singer,&nbsp;Malayalam director Jayaraj who won the award for Best Director, Malayalam actor Fahadh Faasil who won Best Male Supporting Actor.&nbsp;

62 awardees&nbsp;signed a letter in protest of this break from tradition and threatened to boycott the event. In a letter addressed to Chaitanya Prasad, Addl Director General Directorate of Film Festivals, the group of awardees demanded that the President should give awards to all winners and not just to 11, leaving 120 winners to be handed out the award by the Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Smriti Irani.&nbsp;

In the letter, the awardees wrote about being informed about this change just “a day prior to the event” and “call it a breach of trust”. The letter states: “We are disheartened to know that we will be deprived of this honour of appreciation of a once in a lifetime moment of pride and glory that the National Film has offered us.”&nbsp;

The letter mentions that the awardees discussed the issue with the I&B Minister Smriti Irani but have failed to hear from her and wrote: “we feel dejected rather than honoured for our work.”

&nbsp;

Kovind will present only 11 awards. The others are being handed over by Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani. The winners attending include AR Rahman and Janhvi Kapoor

As the 65th National Film Awards were given out today, 68 recipients skipped the ceremony. In an open letter, 60 award winners wrote about being "disheartened" after they got to know that only 11 award winners will be presented the award by President Ram Nath Kovind while others will be handed over the coveted prize by I&B Minister Smriti Irani. Unlike all previously held ceremonies, the Indian President reportedly did not have time for awarding all winners and has been able to take out only an hour’s time. Also Read: The complete list of winners of the 65th National Film Awards. A Rashtrapati Bhavan told a daily that the President would have very little time for the event. He said, "This has been conveyed to all ministries and departments. This has been the standard practice through the presidency of Ram Nath Kovind. The only exceptions are occasions like the Republic Day Parade." Those boycotting the event include K J Yesudas who won Best Male Playback Singer, Malayalam director Jayaraj who won the award for Best Director, Malayalam actor Fahadh Faasil who won Best Male Supporting Actor. 62 awardees signed a letter in protest of this break from tradition and threatened to boycott the event. In a letter addressed to Chaitanya Prasad, Addl Director General Directorate of Film Festivals, the group of awardees demanded that the President should give awards to all winners and not just to 11, leaving 120 winners to be handed out the award by the Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Smriti Irani. In the letter, the awardees wrote about being informed about this change just “a day prior to the event” and “call it a breach of trust”. The letter states: “We are disheartened to know that we will be deprived of this honour of appreciation of a once in a lifetime moment of pride and glory that the National Film has offered us.” The letter mentions that the awardees discussed the issue with the I&B Minister Smriti Irani but have failed to hear from her and wrote: “we feel dejected rather than honoured for our work.”

National Film Awards: 68 winners skip ceremony because President Kovind does not present all awards

Adil Hussain, known for his critically acclaimed performances in Indian stage and television, has praised Shekhar Kapur for an understanding of cinema. &nbsp;

Shekhar Kapur is an Indian film director, actor and producer in Hindi and International Cinema. He is the chairperson of the jury of the 65th National Film Awards. The awards were announced on Friday in New Delhi.

During the announcement of the prestigious awards, Kapur spoke at the length on how regional cinema is shining and hailed the quality and standard which he believes is giving Hindi Cinema a complex, and a run for its money.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
After a long time the Chairman of the Jury of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NationalFilmAwards?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NationalFilmAwards</a> made a lot of sense! Thank you <a href="https://twitter.com/shekharkapur?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@shekharkapur</a> for your leadership. I also thank all of the people for Selecting such a Deserving Film Maker who understands and appreciates the difference between Cinema and Movies.
— Adil hussain (@_AdilHussain) <a href="https://twitter.com/_AdilHussain/status/984819177394397185?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 13, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Adil is known for his excellent performance in award-winning films such as Ang Lee's Oscar-winning 'Life of Pi', Iram Haq's 'What will People Say', 'English Vinglish', 'Hotel Salvation'.

In 2010, Shekhar has also served as one of the Jury Members at the 63rd Cannes Film Festival. 
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Shekhar Kapur is the chairperson of 65th National Film Awards

Adil Hussain, known for his critically acclaimed performances in Indian stage and television, has praised Shekhar Kapur for an understanding of cinema. Shekhar Kapur is an Indian film director, actor and producer in Hindi and International Cinema. He is the chairperson of the jury of the 65th National Film Awards. The awards were announced on Friday in New Delhi. During the announcement of the prestigious awards, Kapur spoke at the length on how regional cinema is shining and hailed the quality and standard which he believes is giving Hindi Cinema a complex, and a run for its money. After a long time the Chairman of the Jury of #NationalFilmAwards made a lot of sense! Thank you @shekharkapur for your leadership. I also thank all of the people for Selecting such a Deserving Film Maker who understands and appreciates the difference between Cinema and Movies. — Adil hussain (@_AdilHussain) April 13, 2018 × Adil is known for his excellent performance in award-winning films such as Ang Lee's Oscar-winning 'Life of Pi', Iram Haq's 'What will People Say', 'English Vinglish', 'Hotel Salvation'. In 2010, Shekhar has also served as one of the Jury Members at the 63rd Cannes Film Festival.

Adil Hussain has praised Shekhar Kapur for an understanding of cinema