Sanya Malhotra's quirky thriller "Kathal: A Jackfruit Mystery" officially brought home the Best Hindi Film award from the 71st National Film Awards. Fans and critics have gone bonkers about this quirky tale that has cleverly unravelled the mystery of a jackfruit stolen from a sleepy town, and has been praised for its great mix of humour, suspense and social commentary.

Director Amal Neerad expressed that it is "an incredible honor for the entire team". Most especially singled out is the performance by Sanya, restating why she is counted as one of the brightest talents in contemporary Hindi cinema. 

The award additionally speaks of the developing taste in India towards cinema driven by content-viewership as well as jury acknowledging differences from the formulaic films. With this award, Kathal has secured for itself the rightful place among the most-discussed films of 2023.