The
National Film Award for Best Actress (officially known as the
Rajat Kamal Award for the Best Actress) is an honour presented annually at the
National Film Awards of India since 1968 to an actress for the best performance in a leading role within the
Indian film industry. The National Film Awards were called the "State Awards for Films" when established in 1954. The State Awards instituted the "Best Actress" category in 1968 as the "Urvashi Award for the Best Actress"; in 1975, the "Urvashi Award" was renamed as the "Rajat Kamal Award for the Best Actress". Throughout the years, accounting for ties and repeat winners, the
Government of India has presented a total of 51 Best Actress awards to 41 different actresses.