Parking To Deep Fridge: These Regional Films Honoured By 71st National Film Award 2025 Should Be On List Of Every Cinephile, Here’s Where To Watch On OTT

The recently announced 71st National Film Awards brought a lot of attention to the brilliance of regional cinema that makes Indian films one of the most diverse in the world. From action dramas, to dark thriller, black comedy, and socially relevant – the films that won the national award in the regional category are not to be missed by any ardent lover of movies. Here’s a comprehensive list of where to watch these films.

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Best Telugu Film: Bhagwant Kesari

Starring Nandamuri Balakrishna, Kajal Aggarwal, Sreeleela and Arjun Rampal, this is an action drama film directed by Anil Ravipudi. It tells the story of a former prisoner who is dedicated to training his adopted daughter to join the army which brings him in conflict with a ruthless business. The film is available to watch on Jio Hotstar and Amazon Prime.

Best Tamil Film: Parking

A black comedy film directed by debutante director Ramkumar Balakrishnan, the film is about two neighbors from different generations who clash over a parking spot with things escalating quickly. The film stars Harish Kalyan, M. S. Bhaskar and Indhuja Ravichandran in lead roles. You can watch the movie on Jio Hotstar.

Best Punjabi Film: Godday Godday Chaa

The film starring Sonam Bajwa and Tania Sufna is an inspiring one. Set in 1990s, it captures the story of two sisters, Rani and Nikko, who make it their mission to end the patriarchal customs in the village that did not allow women to attend wedding processions. The film is directed by Vijay Kumar Arora and is available on Amazon Prime.

Best Odia Film: Pushkara

This Odia film directed by Subhransu Das is a touching story of a conman impersonating a holy man whose life changes after he falls in love with a young widow. Starring Sabyasachi Mishra and Sunanda Nayak in lead roles, the film is available on Tarang Plus.

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Best Marathi Film: Shyamchi Aai

Set against the backdrop of British Raj, the film is about the bond between a mother and her son. The film is based on the famous autobiography of Sane Guruji and is widely regarded as one of the most iconic pieces of Marathi literature. Directed by Sujay Dahake, the films stars Om Bhutkar, Sandeep Pathak, and Gauri Deshpande in pivotal roles and can be watched on Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play TV, and Apple TV.

Best Malayalam Film: Ullozhukku

Directed by Christo Tomy, this film is a sensitive story of Anju and her mother-in-law Leelamma who keeps waiting for the flood waters to recede to conduct the funeral of Thomaskutty, Leelamma’s son and Anju’s husband, as Anju waits to be reunited with her love Rajeev. The film stars Urvashi and Parvathy Thiruvothu as leads. Fans can watch the film on Amazon Prime.

Best Kannada Film: Kandeelu

Kandeelu is a touching story about Seeba, a poor farmer who dreams of owning a farm someday for his family but his grim reality comes in the way of his dreams. Directed by Yashoda Prakash Kottukathira, the film stars Prabhakar B Kundara Brahmavara, Baby Eeramanda Khushi Kaveramma, and Vanita Rajesh and has not had a theatrical or OTT release yet.

Best Gujarati Film: Vash

In Vash, the life of a happy, picture perfect family is turned upside down during a family trip to a peaceful village where a stranger named Pratap enslaves their teenage daughter using dark magic. Directed by Krishnadev Yagnik, the film stars Janki Bodiwala, Hitu Kanodia, Niilam Paanchal, and Hiten Kumar and you can watch it on ShemarooMe. The film was also recently remade in Hindi as Shaitaan with Janki reprising her role while Ajay Devgn, Jyotika, and R.Madhavan played other main characters.

Best Bengali Film: Deep Fridge

Starring Abir Chatterjee and Tanusree Chakraborty, the film explores the emotional self-reflection of a divorced couple 5 years after their separation. Directed by Arjun Dutta, the film is yet to have a theatrical or OTT release, but has screened in several prestigious festivals including International Film Festival Of India (IFFI) and others.

Best Assamese Film: Rongatapu 1982

The film directed by Adityam Saikia paints a pensive picture of riverine areas of Assam during the 1980s deeply plagued by the rising violence in the area and the illegal occupancy of land by the immigrant population. The films stars Gunjan Bharadwaj, Aimee Baruah, and Rimpy Das in lead roles and is available to watch on ReelDrama.