Abhay Jodhpurkar Wins National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer

Singer Abhay Jodhpurkar has received the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer for his Marathi song ‘Navasachi Gauri Mazi’ from Gharat Ganpati at the 72nd National Film Awards. President Droupadi Murmu presented the Rajat Kamal to the winners at a ceremony held in Ekta Nagar, Gujarat. This marks the first time in over seven decades that the National Film Awards ceremony took place outside of Delhi.

The recognition holds personal significance for Jodhpurkar, as the song is connected to the Gauri-Ganpati tradition of his upbringing and is in his mother tongue, Marathi. Jodhpurkar began his playback career at the age of 21 with A.R. Rahman’s ‘Moongil Thottam’ from Mani Ratnam’s Kadal, and has since worked across multiple Indian languages and film industries, including his Hindi playback debut ‘Mere Naam Tu’ from Zero, composed by Ajay-Atul.

Reflecting on the honor, Jodhpurkar shared that the experience felt overwhelming and like a dream, noting that receiving the award from President Droupadi Murmu made the moment surreal. Born in Badwani and raised near the Narmada, Jodhpurkar attended the ceremony keeping the memory of his parents in mind, and noted he is the third singer after Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar from Niwad, Madhya Pradesh, to receive the honour.

Jodhpurkar's career spans more than 300 projects across 16 languages. His portfolio of work includes Hindi songs such as ‘Mere Naam Tu’ from Zero, ‘Saare Jag Mein’ from Aap Jaisa Koi, ‘Rasiya (Climax Version)’ from Brahmastra, ‘Duniya’ from Almost Pyaar with DJ Mohabbat, ‘Ek Boond’ from Doctor G, and ‘Jara Jara Man Khulavate’ from Gandhi Talks. Following this milestone, the singer aims to continue exploring diverse musical styles and languages while developing his craft further.