Mumbai: Playback singer Shilpa Rao was feted with the 71st National Film Award Tuesday. The singer was given the award by the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, at the Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. The National Award belongs to all those who stood by me, and to Jamshedpur, my hometown that shaped me and continues to be my anchor”. The 71st National Film Awards, recognising excellence in Indian cinema for 2023, were announced 1 August 2025 by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. The event is organised by the National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC) and features a structured jury system, with regional committees feeding into a central committee chaired by Ashutosh Gowariker for the Feature Film category.