Shilpa Rao thanks Shah Rukh Khan, Anirudh as she wins National Award for Chaleya

Singer Shilpa Rao thanked actor Shah Rukh Khan after winning the Best Playback Singer Award at the 71st National Award. She won the award for the romantic track - 'Chaleya' from 'Jawan'.

In Short

• Shilpa Rao won Best Playback Singer Award for 'Chaleya'
• She thanked Shah Rukh Khan who played the lead role in 'Jawan'
• The singer also expressed happiness on Khan's first National Award win

Singer Shilpa Rao sounded in disbelief as we told her about winning the Best Playback Singer at the 71st National Award. "I am super excited," she exclusively told India Today. The honour was bestowed on her for the popular romantic song 'Chaleya' from 'Jawan' (2023).

Thanking the team of the Atlee-directorial, Rao further added, "I mean, it's a lot of gratitude for so many people. Firstly, to Shah Rukh Khan, because it all started with his phone call asking me to be a part of Jawan. And then, of course, Anirudh Ravichander (composer). It goes without saying, but I have so much gratitude towards the whole team. I mean, even just the simple gesture of... we were working for the first time, but then the level of comfort, the level of energy, focus on recording the song, to be a part of it, matters a lot. It was so memorable."

She also went on to thank her fans, who showed so much love to the song. The singer admitted that she had yet to call her parents and let them know about the big news. And when we informed her that Shah Rukh Khan had even bagged the big honour of Best Actor at the National Awards, Shilpa Rao exclaimed, "Oh my God, this is massive then. Then cheers to all of us (laughs)."

The 71st National Film Awards ceremony, celebrating achievements in Indian cinema, announced its winners today in New Delhi. The event, which recognises outstanding contributions across various categories such as acting, direction, music, and production, was held at the National Media Centre.

This year's Best Actor accolade was jointly awarded to Shah Rukh Khan for his performance in 'Jawan' and Vikrant Massey for '12th Fail'. Rani Mukerji received the Best Actress award for her role in 'Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway'.

While '12th Fail' also bagged the Best Feature Film honour, the Best Film award in the Hindi category was given to 'Kathal'.

- Ends