MUMBAI: The Eighteenth National Media Network Film and TV awards, instituted by National Media Network and Akhil Bharatiya Swatantra Patrakar Evom Lekhak Sangh (an association of freelance journalists and writers), has named the winners of this year’s awards.

As expected, Ekta Kapoor‘s The Dirty Picture has been adjudged the best film and Vidya Balan the best actress for the same film. In the absence of any good performance from the A listers, Ajay Devgn has been named the best actor for Singham.

Farhan Akhtar will be conferred with best director award for Don 2 - The King Is Back, at the awards ceremony scheduled for January 21, while Anil Kapoor will be conferred the hero of all-time hit award.

Filmmaker Ramesh Sippy, veteran lyricist Gulzar and Film Federation of India chairman T.P. Aggarwal will be given lifetime achievement awards.

Ekta Kapoor will be honoured for being a successful film and TV producer.

On the television front, NDTV has been named the best Hindi news channel while the Asian Academy of Film and TV has been named the best institute for film and TV.