Regional-language films dominated this year's national film honours, with entries in Malayalam, Kashmiri and Assamese sweeping several major categories at Tuesday's ceremony.
A Kashmiri-language feature exploring post-conflict rebuilding in a border village won the award for best feature in a regional language, marking a rare honour for the region's small but growing film industry.
Jury members cited a broader trend of regional cinema tackling subjects overlooked by mainstream commercial films, aided by growing streaming distribution.
