The 72nd National Film Awards were held in Gujarat, with Anant Nag receiving the Dadasaheb Phalke Award and Article 370 winning Best Feature Film.
The 72nd National Film Awards ceremony was held at Ekta Nagar in Gujarat on September 22, marking the first time in more than seven decades that the prestigious event took place outside New Delhi.
President Droupadi Murmu presented the awards at a ceremony organised near the Statue of Unity in Kevadia. The awards recognised outstanding achievements in Indian cinema during 2024 across feature films, non-feature films, acting, direction, music and technical categories.
Anant Nag Receives Dadasaheb Phalke Award
Veteran actor Anant Nag received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, Indian cinema’s highest honour, for his contribution to the film industry.
Nag has appeared in more than 300 films during a career spanning over five decades. Although he is best known for his extensive work in Kannada cinema, he has also acted in Hindi, Marathi, Malayalam, Telugu and English-language productions.
His career includes acclaimed performances in films such as Ankur, Nishant, Manthan, Bhumika, Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu and the KGF franchise.
Kartik Aaryan and Mammootty Share Best Actor Award
Kartik Aaryan and Mammootty jointly received the Best Actor in a Leading Role award.
Aaryan was honoured for portraying Paralympic champion Murlikant Petkar in Chandu Champion. The award was his first National Film Award.
Mammootty received the honour for his performance as Kodumon Potti in the Malayalam folk-horror film Bramayugam. It marked another major National Film Award victory in the veteran actor’s distinguished career.
Yami Gautam won Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in the political action thriller Article 370.
The film also secured the Best Feature Film award and an honour for music direction, making it one of the ceremony’s major winners. The principal award results were initially announced by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on July 18.
‘Amaran’ Director and Randeep Hooda Honoured
Rajkumar Periasamy won Best Direction for the Tamil biographical war drama Amaran.
Randeep Hooda received the award for Best Debut Film of a Director for Swatantrya Veer Savarkar, in which he also played the lead role.
Sanjay Mishra was named Best Supporting Actor for Bhakshak. Rupashree Varkadi and Sachana Namidass shared the Best Supporting Actress award.
Kalki 2898 AD received the award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, while Srikanth was named Best Hindi Feature Film.
Other regional-film winners included Raayan for Tamil, Feminichi Fathima for Malayalam, Committee Kurrollu for Telugu and Mithya for Kannada.
Ceremony Moves Outside Delhi
National Film Award ceremonies have traditionally been organised at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. Hosting the 72nd edition in Ekta Nagar represented a significant departure from that convention.
The Statue of Unity provided the backdrop as actors, filmmakers, technicians, writers and musicians from different parts of India gathered to receive their honours from the President.
The ceremony highlighted the linguistic and cultural diversity of Indian cinema while recognising achievements ranging from mainstream theatrical releases to regional productions, documentaries and film writing.
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