National Film Awards: The inaugural National Film Awards for Best Actor and Best Actress were presented in 1968, recognising cinematic achievements from the calendar year 1967. Matinee idol Uttam Kumar made history as the first-ever recipient of the Best Actor award, while screen icon Nargis (Nargis Dutt) was honoured as the first-ever Best Actress.
National Film Award Winners (1967)
| Category | Winner | Original Award Name | Film(s) Recognized |
| Best Actor | Uttam Kumar | Bharat Award | Antony Firingee & Chiriyakhana |
| Best Actress | Nargis Dutt | Urvashi Award | Raat Aur Din |
When the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting introduced performance categories to the National Film Awards in 1968, the acting honours carried distinct Sanskrit-derived names: the Bharat Award for Best Actor and the Urvashi Award for Best Actress.
Uttam Kumar won the accolade for his dual performances in two seminal Bengali films: the musical biopic Antony Firingee and Satyajit Ray's detective mystery Chiriyakhana. Nargis received the inaugural actress award for her dramatic turn in the psychological thriller Raat Aur Din, where she played a woman coping with dissociative identity disorder.
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72nd National Film Award
Over six decades later, the acting honours have grown to encompass the entire spectrum of Indian multilingual cinema:
In the mid-1970s, the original names ("Bharat Award" and "Urvashi Award") were streamlined under the silver medal format known as the Rajat Kamal (Silver Lotus).
At the 72nd National Film Awards presented on 22 September 2026, the Best Actor title was shared by Mammootty (Bramayugam) and Kartik Aaryan (Chandu Champion), while Yami Gautam took home Best Actress for Article 370.
FAQs
Q1: In which year were the first Best Actor and Best Actress National Film Awards given?
A: The awards were first presented in 1968 for films released during the year 1967.
Q2: Which films earned Uttam Kumar the first Best Actor award?
A: Uttam Kumar was recognised for his roles in two Bengali films: Antony Firingee and Chiriyakhana.