Indian cinema celebrated some of its biggest names and films at the 72nd National Film Awards, with President Droupadi Murmu presenting the honours during a ceremony held at Ekta Nagar in Gujarat on Tuesday.
The ceremony, held against the backdrop of the Statue of Unity, marked a significant departure from the traditional venue in New Delhi. The event was organised in the spirit of Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat, bringing together actors, filmmakers, technicians and other members of the Indian film industry to receive the prestigious national honours.
While the complete list of winners had already been announced in July, the ceremony gave the awardees an opportunity to receive their honours in person. As reported by Firstpost, veteran Kannada actor Anant Nag was presented with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India's highest honour in cinema, in recognition of his contribution to the film industry over several decades.
Among the major winners, Article 370 emerged as one of the most recognised films of the evening. The film won Best Feature Film, while its lead actor Yami Gautam received the Best Actress award. Composer Shashwat Sachdev was also honoured for his music for the film.
Firstpost reported that the 72nd National Film Awards recognised a wide range of films and performances from the 2024 eligibility cycle, with Article 370, Chandu Champion, Bramayugam and Amaran among the prominent titles receiving major honours.
72nd National Film Awards: Full Winners List
Main & Performance Categories
- Best Feature Film: Article 370
- Best Non-Feature Film: Bhangaar
- Best Actor in a Leading Role: Kartik Aaryan for Chandu Champion and Mammootty for Bramayugam
- Best Actress in a Leading Role: Yami Gautam for Article 370
- Best Supporting Actor: Sanjay Mishra for Bhakshak
- Best Supporting Actress: Sachana Namidass for Maharaja and Roopashree Vorkady for Mithya
- Best Direction: Rajkumar Periasamy for Amaran
- Best Debut Film of a Director: Randeep Hooda for Swatantrya Veer Savarkar
- Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment: Kalki 2898 AD
- Best Children's Film: Chinna Katha Kaadu
- Special Mention: Dhanush for Captain Miller
According to Firstpost, the acting categories featured several notable results, including Kartik Aaryan receiving his first National Award for Chandu Champion and sharing the Best Actor honour with Malayalam star Mammootty, who was recognised for his performance in Bramayugam.
Yami Gautam was honoured with the Best Actress award for Article 370, while Sanjay Mishra received the Best Supporting Actor award for Bhakshak. Sachana Namidass and Roopashree Vorkady shared the Best Supporting Actress honour for Maharaja and Mithya, respectively.
Rajkumar Periasamy received the Best Director award for Amaran. Randeep Hooda, meanwhile, was recognised with the Best Debut Film of a Director award for Swatantrya Veer Savarkar.
Regional Language Categories
The National Film Awards also recognised films across India's diverse regional-language industries.
- Best Hindi Film: Srikanth
- Best Tamil Film: Raayan
- Best Telugu Film: Committee Kurrollu
- Best Kannada Film: Mithya
- Best Malayalam Film: Feminichi Fathima
- Best Marathi Film: Mukkam Post Bombilwadi
- Best Gujarati Film: Maaran
- Best Bengali Film: Chaalchitra Ekhon
- Best Odia Film: Lahari
- Best Assamese Film: Juiphool
- Best Manipuri Film: Sunita
- Best Tulu Film: Imbu
- Best Garhwali Film: Dholi
Firstpost highlighted the wide representation of Indian cinema at the 72nd National Film Awards, with films in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Odia, Assamese, Manipuri, Tulu and Garhwali receiving recognition across the regional categories.
The regional awards once again reflected the breadth of India's film industry, where productions in multiple languages compete for recognition under the National Film Awards.
Technical & Music Awards
The technical and music categories also featured several major winners from popular films released during the 2024 cycle.
- Best Music Direction (Songs): Shashwat Sachdev for Article 370
- Best Background Music: G. V. Prakash Kumar for Amaran
- Best Lyrics: Manoj Muntashir for “Jaane Do” from Maidaan
- Best Male Playback Singer: Abhay Jodhpurkar for “Navasachi Gauri Mazi” from Gharat Ganpati
- Best Female Playback Singer: Vaikom Vijayalakshmi for “Angu Vaana Konilu” from ARM
- Best Choreography: Vijay Ganguly for “Aaj Ki Raat” from Stree 2
- Best Screenplay: Sukumar for Pushpa 2: The Rule
- Best Editing: R. Kalaivanan for Amaran
- Best Cinematography: Shehnad Jalal for Bramayugam
- Best Costume Design: Deepika Noor and Sheetal Sharma for Pushpa 2: The Rule
- Best Sound Design: Manas Choudhury for Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3
- Best Action Direction: Anl Arasu for Maharaja
- Best Make-up: P. Ravi Kumar for Committee Kurrollu
- Best Film Critic: Sanjeev Shrivastava
Firstpost reported that the technical awards covered a broad range of filmmaking disciplines, from screenplay and editing to cinematography, sound, costume design, choreography and action direction.
The music categories also saw recognition for several prominent names. Shashwat Sachdev was honoured for the music of Article 370, while G. V. Prakash Kumar received the Best Background Music award for Amaran. Manoj Muntashir was recognised for lyrics for “Jaane Do” from Maidaan.
Anant Nag Receives the Dadasaheb Phalke Award
One of the most significant moments of the ceremony was the presentation of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award to veteran Kannada actor Anant Nag.
The honour recognises his extensive contribution to Indian cinema over a career spanning more than five decades. Nag has worked across Kannada, Hindi and other Indian-language films and has been associated with a wide range of roles throughout his career.
Firstpost reported that the Dadasaheb Phalke Award was among the major highlights of the 72nd National Film Awards ceremony, with Anant Nag receiving the country's highest cinema honour from President Droupadi Murmu.
The ceremony thus brought together recognition for both contemporary films and a veteran actor whose career has been closely associated with Indian cinema for decades.
Article 370 Among the Major Winners
Article 370 was another major highlight of the 72nd National Film Awards.
The film won Best Feature Film, while Yami Gautam was honoured as Best Actress and Shashwat Sachdev received the award for Best Music Direction for Songs.
According to Firstpost, the film was among the leading winners at the ceremony, with multiple honours recognising different aspects of its production.
The awards also recognised performances and technical achievements from several other major 2024 releases, including Bramayugam, Chandu Champion, Amaran, Pushpa 2: The Rule, Stree 2, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 and Maharaja.
The 72nd National Film Awards therefore brought together recognition across languages, genres and filmmaking departments, celebrating films and artists from different parts of India's cinema industry.
With the ceremony now formally concluding the presentation of the 72nd National Film Awards, the honours have recognised the films and performances that formed part of the 2024 eligibility cycle, while also marking the event's move from New Delhi to Ekta Nagar, Gujarat.
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