Child artist Treesha Thosar, aged four, has been named the winner of the National Film Award for Best Child Artist at the 71st National Film Awards — making her the youngest recipient of a National Film Award in India's recorded award history.
What happened
Treesha won the honour for her performance in the Marathi feature film Naal 2. The 71st National Film Awards, announced by the Directorate of Film Festivals and notified through the Press Information Bureau (PIB), recognised her performance as outstanding by the national jury.
Record broken
The award breaks a record that had stood for 64 years. Kamal Haasan had previously held the record as India's youngest National Award recipient, having won Best Child Artist for Kalathur Kannamma in 1960. According to the Times of India's entertainment report on the ceremony, Kamal Haasan personally congratulated Treesha via video call following the announcement.
Why it matters
Treesha Thosar's recognition signals the national jury's willingness to honour exceptional talent irrespective of age and highlights the continuing strength of Marathi regional cinema in India's official awards landscape. The Naal franchise has earned critical recognition for its portrayal of rural family life, and this award adds a historic milestone to its legacy.
Note: Some early syndicated reports of this award contained the name "Meet Trees" — a truncated error caused by headline-processing in news aggregation systems. The correct name of the award recipient is Treesha Thosar.
