The Gujarati supernatural thriller film ‘Vash’ was feted with the National Award for Best Gujarati Film at the ongoing ceremony of the 71st National Film Awards on Tuesday.

The director of the film, Krishnadev Yagnik received the honour from President of India, Droupadi Murmu. The film stars Hiten Kumar, Janki Bodiwala, Niilam Paanchal, and Hitu Kanodia in key roles. The story follows a family that encounters a mysterious man whose dark powers disrupt their lives, leading to a terrifying chain of events.

The film’s success also led to a Hindi remake, Shaitaan (2024), starring Ajay Devgn, R. Madhavan, and Jyotika, which brought wider attention to the original Gujarati film. The film also led to the sequel ‘Vash: Level 2’, which was released in cinemas recently.

The ceremony started shortly after the dignitaries including the President, Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Ashwini Vaishnaw, and filmmaker-producer Ashutosh Gowariker, filmmaker P. Sheshadri and author, Gopalakrishna Pai arrived.

The 71st National Film Awards, recognising excellence in Indian cinema for 2023, were announced on 1 August 2025 by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. The award ceremony is currently underway at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, where the President of India, Droupadi Murmu is conferring the honours.

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. The awards aim to celebrate the artistic and technical achievements of Indian cinema without public bias, maintaining a formal presentation.