The 72nd National Film Awards will be presented by the President Droupadi Murmu at Ekta Nagar (Kevadia) in Gujarat on September 22, marking a significant shift in the tradition of hosting the prestigious awards ceremony in the national capital.
The ceremony will bring together filmmakers, actors, technicians and other artists from across the country to honour outstanding achievements in Indian cinema for the year 2024.
Instituted in 1954, the National Film Awards are among the country’s most prestigious honours for excellence in cinema. Over the past seven decades, the awards have recognised creative and technical achievements in feature films, non-feature films and writing on cinema, while showcasing India’s linguistic, cultural and regional diversity.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has decided to take the National Film Awards beyond Delhi, with future editions to be held in different states and cities across the country. The ceremony in Ekta Nagar this year is expected to reflect the spirit of ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’ by bringing together cinematic talent from different parts of India.
The 72nd edition celebrates films across a wide range of languages, genres and cinematic forms. ‘Article 370’ has been adjudged the Best Feature Film, while ‘Bhangaar’ has won the Best Non-Feature Film award and ‘Ram-Nami’ has been selected as the Best Documentary.
Mammootty and Kartik Aaryan will share the Best Actor in a Leading Role honour for ‘Bramayugam’ and ‘Chandu Champion’, respectively. Yami Gautam will receive the Best Actress in a Leading Role award for ‘Article 370’.
Actor Randeep Hooda will be honoured with the Best Debut Director award for ‘Swatantrya Veer Savarkar’.
The awards also recognise excellence in films made in several Indian languages, including Marathi, Santhali, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, Tulu and Garhwali. Films such as ‘Kalki 2898 AD’, ‘Amaran’, ‘Pushpa: The Rule Part-02’, ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3’ and ‘Stree 2’ will also receive honours in various categories.
For the first time, a Santhali film will be honoured in the Non-Feature Film section of the National Film Awards, further highlighting the diversity of India’s cinematic traditions.
In the Best Writing on Cinema category, Sanjeev Shrivastava has been named Best Film Critic. The Best Book on Cinema award will go to ‘Naaniruvude Nimagaagi Naadiruvude Nanagaagi: Kannada Cinemada Thathva matthu Rajakeeya’ (I Stand for You, the State Stands for Us: Political and Philosophical Dimensions of Kannada Cinema), written by Dr. Pradeep Kenchanuru and published by Mirror Pusthaka.
