Karan Johar's happiness knows no bounds as Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani wins National Award: 'Ecstatic, overwhelmed'

Karan Johar penned a note as his film Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahaani bagged the National Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment.

Updated on: Aug 2, 2025, 08:29:50 IST

By Abhimanyu Mathur

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It was Bollywood's night on Friday as the 71st National Film Awards were announced in Delhi. Hindi films won as many as 14 awards in various categories, apart from other language-specific honours. Among the big winners was Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. The Karan Johar film bagged the National Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, leading the filmmaker to share a heartfelt note of gratitude.

Karan Johar's Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani won two National Awards.

Karan Johar reacts to Rocky Aur Rani's National Award win

On Friday night, Karan took to Instagram to pen a note about his film's recognition at the National Awards. Expressing gratitude to the jury, Karan said, “I am ecstatic and overwhelmed to win the national award for a film exceptionally close to my heart.... Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. I am grateful to the jury and continue to be humbled by the enormous love the film continues to receive.”

In his note, the filmmaker also thanked the audience and fans for showering their love upon the film in the 2 years since its release. “It feels surreal, 2 years on... to receive so much love for a film that we put so much love in. To have everyone across the world resonate so deeply, that they choose to call the story, the music, the characters, the dance and everything - their OWN! My deepest gratitude once again to the #NationalFilmAwards for having #RockAurRaniKiiPremKahaani receive this honour for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. And my biggest love & hugs to @vaibhavi.merchant and her team for giving us the Best Choreography for Dhindhora Baje Re! I'm a happy man today, and I will remain forever grateful for this. Fun fact - it feels magical to win the same award as you did for your first film, again,” he added.

At the 71st National Awards, Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani also won Best Choreography, with Vaibhavi Merchant taking home the prize for her work on the song Dhindhora Baje Re.

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A post shared by Karan Johar (@karanjohar)

All about Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani

Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani marked Karan's return to the director's chair after seven years. The film starred Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt in lead roles. It hit the theatres on July 28, 2023, garnering much love from the audience and critics, and was a huge box office success, grossing over ₹340 crore worldwide.

The movie also featured veteran actors Dharmendra, Jaya Bachchan, and Shabana Azmi, alongside Tota Roy Chowdhury, Churni Ganguly, Aamir Bashir, and Kshitee Jog.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Abhimanyu Mathur
Abhimanyu Mathur is Deputy Editor, Entertainment at Hindustan Times. With almost 15 years of experience in writing about everything from films and TV shows to cricket matches and elections, he inhales and exhales pop culture and news. Currently, he watches movies and TV shows and talks to celebrities for a living, while occasionally writing about them as well. A journalism graduate of Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, Delhi University, Abhimanyu began his career with Hindustan Times at the age of 20, swapping classrooms for newsrooms at an early age. He began his journey in the early days of digital journalism, later switching to the madness of print journalism. Work has led him to far off places like Japan and Jordan, as well as to the interiors of Haryana and the Indo-Pak border. He dabbled in city reporting in places like Meerut, Gurgaon, and Delhi, covered the Olympics and Cricket World Cups, before finding his calling in entertainment and lifestyle during the pandemic. A Rotten Tomatoes Certified Film Critic, he is equally at home covering stories on ground as he is interviewing celebrities and studios, and sometimes prefers to shepherd teams in delivering traffic through the day. Even as his role has evolved from reporter to supervisor over the years, his first love remains writing (and of late, talking on camera). With a good understanding of cinema and its trends, and a keen eye for detail, he continues to spark conversations around showbiz for readers around the world.Read More

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