The 72nd National Film Awards ceremony was held at Ekta Nagar in Gujarat on Tuesday, September 22, with President Droupadi Murmu presenting the prestigious honours to winners from across Indian cinema.
The awards recognised films and performances from the 2024 calendar year. This year’s ceremony was also notable because the National Film Awards were presented outside Delhi for the first time.
Several major names from the film industry were honoured during the ceremony, including Yami Gautam, Kartik Aaryan, Mammootty and Randeep Hooda.
Yami Gautam wins Best Actress
Yami Gautam received the Best Actress in a Leading Role award for her performance in Article 370.
The film also received the Best Feature Film award, giving Yami and the Article 370 team two major honours at the ceremony.
Article 370, directed by Aditya Suhas Jambhale, was recognised as the year’s Best Feature Film.
Kartik Aaryan and Mammootty share Best Actor honour
Kartik Aaryan and Malayalam superstar Mammootty jointly received the Best Actor in a Leading Role award.
Kartik was honoured for his performance in Chandu Champion, while Mammootty received the award for his role in Bramayugam.
The honour marked another major National Film Award recognition for both actors.
Randeep Hooda honoured for directorial debut
Actor Randeep Hooda received the Best Debut Film of a Director award for Swatantrya Veer Savarkar.
The film marked Hooda’s first feature-length directorial venture and earned him national recognition in the directing category.
Meanwhile, Rajkumar Periasamy won the Best Direction award for the Tamil film Amaran.
Rajkummar Rao’s Srikanth wins Best Hindi Film
Srikanth, starring Rajkummar Rao, was named the Best Hindi Film at the 72nd National Film Awards.
The film was among the Hindi-language productions recognised at this year’s awards.
Kalki 2898 AD also received the award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment.
Anant Nag receives Dadasaheb Phalke Award
Veteran Kannada actor Anant Nag was also honoured during the ceremony with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2024.
The award recognises his contribution to Indian cinema over a career spanning more than five decades.
National Film Awards honour regional cinema
The ceremony also highlighted films from several regional industries.
Among the language awards, Committee Kurrollu was recognised as the Best Telugu Film, Raayan won Best Tamil Film, Feminichi Fathima was named Best Malayalam Film, and Mukkam Post Bombilwadi received the Best Marathi Film honour.
The awards once again brought together performers, filmmakers and technicians representing different languages and film industries across India.
