The 72nd National Film Awards have recognised outstanding achievements across India’s diverse film industry, honouring feature films, non-feature films and writing on cinema for films certified during 2024. The winners were announced on July 18, 2026, by the chairpersons of the three award juries. President of India will present the awards on September 22, 2026, at Ekta Nagar, formerly Kevadia, in Gujarat.
The latest edition has placed films and artistes from several Indian languages on a common national platform. ‘Article 370’ emerged as the Best Feature Film, while its lead actor Yami Gautam won the award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.
The Best Actor in a Leading Role award was shared by Mammootty for the Malayalam film Bramayugam and Kartik Aaryan for the Hindi film Chandu Champion.
Tamil cinema also secured major recognition, with Rajkumar Periasamy winning Best Direction for Amaran. ‘Kalki 2898 AD’, directed by Nag Ashwin Singireddy and produced by Vyjayanthi Movies, was named Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment.
‘Article 370’ takes top feature film honours
Article 370 won the Best Feature Film award, with Jio Studios and B62 Studios as producers and Aditya Suhas Jambhale as director.
Yami Gautam received the Best Actress in a Leading Role award for the film. The film also received recognition for music direction, with Shashwat Sachdev being recognised for songs.
The Best Music Direction award also recognised G. V. Prakash Kumar for Background Music for Amaran.
The Best Actor in a Supporting Role award went to Sanjay Mishra for Bhakshak.
In the Best Actress in a Supporting Role category, the award was shared by Sachana Namidass for Maharaja and Ropashree Varkady for Mithya.
Major recognition for ‘Amaran’
Amaran brought another major honour to Tamil cinema, with Rajkumar Periasamy winning Best Direction.
The film, along with Article 370, was also recognised under Best Music Direction, with G. V. Prakash Kumar winning for its background music.
The Best Feature Film Promoting National, Social and Environmental Values went to Captain Miller. The film was produced by Sathya Jyothi Films and directed by Arun Matheswaran.
Randeep Hooda wins Best Debut Film of a Director
Actor Randeep Hooda was recognised with the award for Best Debut Film of a Director for Swatantrya Veer Savarkar.
The award marks recognition of Hooda’s directorial debut in the feature film category.
Kalki 2898 AD, produced by Vyjayanthi Movies and directed by Nag Ashwin Singireddy, was named Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment.
The Best Children’s Film award went to Telugu film 35 – Chinna Katha Kaadu, produced by S Originals and Waltair Productions and directed by Nanda Kishore Emani.
Non-feature films and documentaries recognised
The 72nd National Film Awards also recognised achievements in non-feature filmmaking.
‘Bhangaar’, in Marathi and English, was adjudged Best Non-Feature Film. It was produced and directed by Sumira Roy.
The Best Debut Film of a Director in the Non-Feature Film category went to ‘Angen’, a Santhali film directed by Ravi Raj Murmu.
‘Ram-Nami’, a Hindi documentary, was named Best Documentary. It was produced by BBP Studio Virtual Bharat Pvt. Ltd. and directed by Bharatbala Ganapathy.
The Best Direction award in the Non-Feature Film category went to Aanand L Rai for Statue of Unity – Ekta ka Prateek.
Recognition across languages and regions
The 72nd National Film Awards reflect the linguistic, cultural and regional diversity of Indian cinema. Films in Marathi, Santhali, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada were among those recognised in the edition, while films in Tulu and Garhwali also received recognition.
A notable feature of this year’s awards is the recognition of a Santhali film in the Non-Feature Film section for the first time. Angen, directed by Ravi Raj Murmu, won the Best Debut Film of a Director award in the category.
The awards bring large commercial productions as well as independent films onto a common national platform, covering creative and technical achievements across India’s filmmaking landscape.
Awards for writing on cinema
The National Film Awards also recognise contributions to writing on cinema.
The award for Best Book on Cinema went to Naaniruvude Nimagaagi Naadiruvude Nanagaagi in Kannada, authored by Kenchanuru Pradeep Kumar Shetty and published by Mirror Pusthaka.
The Best Film Critic award went to Sanjeev Shrivastava for Hindi.
Jurors of the 72nd National Film Awards
The three principal juries for the 72nd National Film Awards were chaired by Jayaraj, who headed the Feature Film Jury; Aseem Sinha, who chaired the Non-Feature Film Jury; and A. Chandrasekhar, who chaired the Best Writing on Cinema Jury.
The National Film Awards cover three broad fields – feature films, non-feature films and writing on cinema.
Eligibility for the National Film Awards
Under the eligibility requirements outlined for the awards, films must be certified by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) during the relevant award year and must carry English subtitles.
A feature film must have a running time of more than 72 minutes. Dubbed, remade or re-edited versions that have already been submitted are not eligible.
Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2024 for Anant Nag
The Government of India has announced that the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2024 will be conferred on veteran actor Anant Nag. The announcement was made on September 16, 2026.
Born on September 4, 1948, in Karnataka, Anant Nag began his acting career in the early 1970s. He made his acting debut in the Kannada feature film Sankalp and subsequently made his Hindi debut with Ankur.
Over a career spanning more than five decades, Anant Nag has portrayed diverse characters in more than 300 films across six Indian languages. His body of work also includes the widely loved television series Malgudi Days.
He has received five Filmfare Awards and five Karnataka State Best Actor Awards. The Government of India conferred the Padma Bhushan on him in 2025.
The Dadasaheb Phalke Award recognises outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema.
Recent Dadasaheb Phalke Award recipients
The Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2023 was received by Mohanlal, while Mithun Chakraborty received the award for 2022. Waheeda Rehman received the award for 2021.
Each award is presented at the National Film Awards ceremony of the corresponding edition.
Dadasaheb Phalke Award: India’s highest cinema honour
The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is the highest honour in the field of Indian cinema. It was instituted in 1969, when it was first presented to Devika Rani.
The award commemorates Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, popularly known as Dadasaheb Phalke, who directed Raja Harishchandra in 1913.
Phalke, who lived from 1870 to 1944, is recognised as the Father of Indian Cinema. He directed Raja Harishchandra, India’s first full-length feature film, and went on to make 94 feature films and 27 short films.
The Dadasaheb Phalke Award was instituted by the Government of India in 1969 to honour individuals for their outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema.
The 72nd National Film Awards continue this tradition by recognising achievements across India’s feature films, non-feature films and cinema writing, while the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2024 adds a lifetime contribution honour for Anant Nag to the latest cycle of national cinema recognitions.
