The 64th National Film Awards were announced at an event in Delhi today wherein the Jury announced Bollywood actor, Akshay Kumar as the best actor for his portrayal of a Navy Officer in Rustom.

This the first time wherein the actor has been conferred with a National Award and the decision has surprised many as the actor was competing with several other Bollywood actors that includes Aamir Khan (Dangal), Amitabh Bachchan (Pink), Salman Khan (Sultan) and Shah Rukh Khan (Fan).

In 2016, Akshay Kumar delivered three successful films i.e. Airlift, Housefull 3 and Rustom. He was hailed by the critics for his performance in Airlift however he was ignored at other award functions in the industry.

Rustom released on August 12 last year and raked in approximately Rs 128 crore at the box-office.