In an industry full of glamour and prestige, Bollywood honored the common man at the 54^th National Film Awards in New Delhi on Tuesday, as Lage Raho Munnabhai garnered four awards, including Best Popular Film.

Bollywood’s version of the Oscars, Munnabhai was one of several movies highlighting life of the everyday person to be recognized.

With megastar Sunjay Dutt and Vidya Balan, Munnabhai was hailed as a film that, according to critics, “revalidate[s] the philosophy of non-violence in a strife-torn world and help[s] rediscover the Gandhi within the common man.”

With two outstanding performances in the supporting role, including one in Munnabhai, Dilip Prabhavalkar walked away with the title of Best Supporting Actor. Prabhavalkar also stood out in his supporting role in the Marathi film Shevri.

Filmmakers Abhijat Joshi, Raj Kumar Hirani, and Vidhu Vinod Chopra snagged Best Screenplay honors for writing Munnabhai. With the award, film producer Chopra and director Hirani earned a Swarna Kamal and a cash award worth Rs. 200,000 each.

While Munnabhai dominated the spotlight, it did not stand in front of it alone.

From the south, the Malayalam film Pulijanmam was the top film in the Best Feature Film category. Directed by Priyanandanan, Pulijanmam is based on the eponymous play by N. Prabhakaran which depicted the struggle between oppressors and those who stood up to resist them.

With the award, Priyanandan and producer M.G. Vijay earned a Swarna Kamal (official name of the Golden Lotus Award) and a cash prize of Rs. 250,000 each.

Swanand Kirkire was named Best Lyricist for his song “Bande Mein Tha Dum – Vande Mataram.”

Winner of the prestigious Indira Gandhi Award for the Best First Film of a Director was awarded to two newcomers–the Malayalam film Ekantham (directed by Madhukaithapuram) and Kabir Khan’s Kabul Express.

Other award winners Tuesday include:

• Best Actor: Bengali actor Soumitra Chatterjee (Podokkhep)
• Best Actress: Tamil actress Priyamani (Paruthiveeran)
• Best Supporting Actress: Konkana SenSharma (Omkara)
• Best Director: Madhur Bhandarkar (Traffic Signal)
• Best Child Artist: Divya Chahadkar (Antarnad)
• Best Female Playback Singer: Aarti Anklekar Tikekar (Antarnad)
• Best Male Playback Singer: Gurdas Mann (Waris Shah Ishq Da Waris)
• Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration: Kallarali Hoovagi
• Best Feature Film on Social Issues: Hope
• Best Film on Children’s Issues: Care of Footpath
• Best Feature Film in Hindi: Khosla Ka Ghosla
• Best Feature Film in English: Quest
• Best Animation Film: Kittu

Tuesday’s award ceremony honored films produced in 2006; awards for films produced in 2007 will be announced later.

The awards were determined by a three-member panel that submitted their recommendations to the Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Priyaranjan Dasmunsi, early Tuesday morning.

Along with the Filmfare Awards, the National Film Awards are India’s oldest and most prestigious award ceremonies. Created in 1954, the award ceremony is held annually in New Delhi, where the President of India presents each award.

Also, the ceremony doubles as a kickoff for the National Film Festival, where the award-winning films are screened for the public.