72nd National Film Awards 2026: Anant Nag Receives Dadasaheb Phalke Award; Article 370 Wins Best Feature Film
The 72nd National Film Awards were presented at Ekta Nagar, Gujarat, with Anant Nag receiving the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. Article 370 won Best Feature Film, while Mammootty and Kartik Aaryan shared Best Actor and Yami Gautam won Best Actress.
72nd National Film Awards ceremony held at Ekta Nagar in Gujarat on September 22, 2026
Table of Contents (26 sections)
EKTA NAGAR / NEW DELHI, September 22, 2026: The 72nd National Film Awards were presented at Ekta Nagar in Gujarat on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, with veteran actor Anant Nag receiving the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2024 and some of India's biggest films and performers collecting honours across feature, non-feature and technical categories.
President Droupadi Murmu presented the awards at the ceremony in Ekta Nagar, formerly known as Kevadia, in Gujarat's Narmada district near the Statue of Unity.
This year's ceremony marked a major change in National Film Awards tradition, with the event being taken outside New Delhi as part of a Ministry of Information and Broadcasting initiative to hold future editions in different states and cities.
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The competitive awards recognise films from 2024. The winners themselves had already been officially announced on July 18, 2026, meaning September 22 was the formal presentation ceremony rather than the day on which most categories were decided.
Among the major winners, Article 370 took Best Feature Film, Yami Gautam won Best Actress in a Leading Role, and Mammootty and Kartik Aaryan shared Best Actor honours for Bramayugam and Chandu Champion, respectively.
Director Rajkumar Periasamy won Best Direction for Amaran, while Kalki 2898 AD was named Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment.
Key Takeaways
Anant Nag receives Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2024.
Article 370 wins Best Feature Film; Yami Gautam wins Best Actress.
Mammootty and Kartik Aaryan share Best Actor award.
Ceremony held for the first time outside New Delhi, at Ekta Nagar, Gujarat.
Competitive winners were announced on July 18, 2026.
The official award list covers feature films, non-feature films, regional-language films, technical achievements and writing on cinema.
Anant Nag Receives Dadasaheb Phalke Award
A major focus of the ceremony was veteran Kannada actor Anant Nag, who received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2024, India's highest honour in cinema.
The government announced his selection on September 16.
Nag has worked in Indian cinema for more than five decades and has appeared in more than 300 films across several languages.
His body of work spans Kannada cinema as well as Hindi and other Indian-language productions, while television audiences also widely recognise him from Malgudi Days.
The award recognises lifetime contribution to Indian cinema rather than a performance in one particular film.
Reports from the September 22 ceremony said Nag received a standing ovation when he was honoured.
Article 370 Wins Best Feature Film
Article 370, directed by Aditya Suhas Jambhale, won the award for Best Feature Film.
The Hindi film's producers, Jio Studios and B62 Studios, and its director receive the Swarna Kamal recognition under the category.
The film also produced the year's Best Actress winner, with Yami Gautam receiving the acting honour for her performance.
Music composer Shashwat Sachdev also won Best Music Direction for songs for Article 370.
This gave the film recognition across both the principal feature-film and performance categories.
Mammootty and Kartik Aaryan Share Best Actor Award
The Best Actor in a Leading Role award was shared between two performers from different film industries.
Mammootty won for his performance in the Malayalam film Bramayugam, while Kartik Aaryan was recognised for the Hindi film Chandu Champion.
The shared award highlights the cross-language nature of the National Film Awards, where films are assessed across Indian cinema rather than being restricted to one commercial film industry.
Bramayugam also won Best Cinematography for Shehnad Jalal.
Yami Gautam Wins Best Actress for Article 370
Yami Gautam received the Best Actress in a Leading Role award for Article 370.
Her win was officially announced along with the other competitive awards in July and formally recognised at the September ceremony.
The distinction between the announcement and ceremony dates matters for readers searching the awards live: the principal winners were not being decided during the September 22 event.
Instead, recipients were receiving awards that had already been declared.
Rajkumar Periasamy Wins Best Direction for Amaran
Rajkumar Periasamy won the National Film Award for Best Direction for the Tamil film Amaran.
The film also won Best Editing for R. Kalaivannan, while G. V. Prakash Kumar received Best Music Direction for background music.
The multiple awards gave Amaran a strong presence across directing and technical categories.
Kalki 2898 AD Wins Best Popular Film
Telugu science-fiction film Kalki 2898 AD received the award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment.
The award recognises producer Vyjayanthi Movies and director Nag Ashwin Singireddy.
The film also won Best Production Design for Nitin Zihani Choudhary.
The result placed Kalki 2898 AD among the major commercial films recognised at the 72nd National Film Awards.
Randeep Hooda Wins Best Debut Director
Randeep Hooda received the award for Best Debut Film of a Director for the Hindi film Swatantrya Veer Savarkar.
The award applies to Hooda's directorial debut rather than his acting career, which predates the film.
The distinction is important because abbreviated winner lists sometimes describe the category simply as “Best Debut Director.”
Supporting Acting Winners
Sanjay Mishra won Best Actor in a Supporting Role for the Hindi film Bhakshak.
The Best Actress in a Supporting Role award was shared by Sachana Namidass for the Tamil film Maharaja and Ropashree Varkady for the Kannada film Mithya.
Maharaja also won Best Action Direction, with stunt choreographer Anl Arasu receiving the honour.
Pushpa: The Rule, Stree 2 and Other Major Winners
Several widely released commercial films also received technical honours.
Pushpa: The Rule Part - 02 won Best Original Screenplay for Bandreddi Sukumar and Best Costume Design for Deepali Noor and Sheetal Sharma.
Stree 2 won Best Choreography for Vijay Ganguly for the song Aaj Ki Raat.
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 received Best Sound Design for Manas Choudhury.
Lucky Baskhar won the dialogue-writing component of Best Screenplay for Venky Atluri.
35 - Chinna Katha Kaadu Wins Best Children's Film
Telugu film 35 - Chinna Katha Kaadu was selected as Best Children's Film.
Its producers S Originals and Waltair Productions and director Nanda Kishore Emani received the honour.
The film's Arundev Pothula was also among the recipients sharing the Best Child Artist category.
Best Films by Language
The National Film Awards also recognise films separately across Indian languages.
Some of the major language winners were:
Hindi: Srikanth
Telugu: Committee Kurrollu
Tamil: Raayan
Malayalam: Feminichi Fathima
Kannada: Mithya
Marathi: Mukkam Post Bombilwadi
Bengali: Chalchitra Ekhon
Gujarati: Maaran
Odia: Lahari
Assamese: Juiphool
Manipuri: Sunita
Konkani: Mog Asum
Garhwali: Dholi
Tulu: IMBU
These categories illustrate the National Film Awards' broader scope beyond mainstream Hindi, Telugu, Tamil or Malayalam releases.
Dhanush Receives Special Mention
Actor and filmmaker Dhanush received a Special Mention for his performance in Captain Miller.
The film itself was named Best Feature Film Promoting National, Social and Environmental Values.
Separately, Dhanush-directed Raayan won Best Tamil Film.
Best Playback Singers and Music Winners
Abhay Jodhpurkar received Best Male Playback Singer for Navasachi Gauri Mazi from the Marathi film Gharat Ganpati.
Vaikom Vijayalakshmi won Best Female Playback Singer for Angu Vaana Konilu from the Malayalam film A.R.M..
In music direction, Shashwat Sachdev won for the songs of Article 370, while G. V. Prakash Kumar was recognised for the background score of Amaran.
Manoj Muntashir received Best Lyrics for Jaane Do from Maidaan.
Non-Feature Film Winners
The awards also recognise documentary, short and other non-feature filmmaking.
Bhangaar, a Marathi-English production directed and produced by Sumira Roy, won Best Non-Feature Film.
Ram-Nami, directed by Bharatbala Ganapathy, won Best Documentary.
Angen, a Santhali film directed by Ravi Raj Murmu, won Best Debut Film of a Director in the non-feature category.
Director Aanand L Rai won Best Direction in the non-feature section for Statue of Unity - Ekta ka Prateek.
Why the Gujarat Ceremony Is Significant
The September 22 ceremony marked a significant change in the way the National Film Awards are hosted.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting announced that the awards will increasingly be taken to different parts of the country rather than being centred exclusively in the national capital.
The government described the move as reflecting the idea of “Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat.”
The 2026 event at Ekta Nagar brought the ceremony to Gujarat's Narmada district, with the Statue of Unity providing the wider location backdrop.
Media reports described it as the first edition of the awards ceremony to be held outside New Delhi.
When Were the 72nd National Film Awards Winners Announced?
The official competitive winners were announced on July 18, 2026.
That announcement named Article 370 Best Feature Film, Yami Gautam Best Actress, Mammootty and Kartik Aaryan joint Best Actors, Rajkumar Periasamy Best Director and the other category winners.
The Dadasaheb Phalke Award for Anant Nag was announced separately in September.
The awards were then formally presented on September 22, 2026.
This timeline explains why winner lists were available well before the televised ceremony.
Where and When Was the National Film Awards Ceremony Held?
The ceremony was held at Ekta Nagar in Kevadia, Gujarat, on September 22.
It began at 3 p.m. IST, with President Droupadi Murmu presenting the honours.
DD National provided online live coverage through its YouTube channel.
For viewers searching after the live ceremony, the key information is that DD National was the official online streaming destination for the event.
Why Are They Called the 2026 Awards If They Honour 2024 Films?
The National Film Awards are identified by their edition and presentation cycle, while the eligible films relate to an earlier certification year.
The 72nd National Film Awards ceremony took place in 2026 but recognises achievements in Indian cinema for 2024.
This can create confusion when people search for “National Film Awards 2026 winners,” because both 2026 and 2024 appear in official descriptions.
For search purposes:
72nd National Film Awards 2026 refers to the ceremony held in September 2026.
72nd National Film Awards for 2024 refers to the eligibility year recognised by the awards.
Both descriptions refer to the same edition.
What Are the National Film Awards?
Instituted in 1954, the National Film Awards recognise achievements across Indian cinema.
Unlike awards focused on a single language industry, they cover films from across India and include categories for:
feature films;
actors;
directors;
regional-language films;
cinematography;
screenplay;
editing;
sound;
music;
choreography;
costume and production design;
non-feature films;
documentaries;
and writing on cinema.
The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is the country's highest cinema honour for lifetime contribution.
72nd National Film Awards Timeline
Date
Development
July 18, 2026
Competitive winners of the 72nd National Film Awards announced
September 8
Government confirms ceremony will be held at Ekta Nagar, Gujarat
September 16
Anant Nag announced as Dadasaheb Phalke Award recipient for 2024
September 22, 3 p.m. IST
72nd National Film Awards presentation ceremony begins
September 22
President Droupadi Murmu presents honours at Ekta Nagar
What Stands Out in This Year’s Results?
The 72nd National Film Awards cover a notably broad mix of commercial, regional and independent cinema.
Article 370 took the top feature-film award and Best Actress, while major commercial releases including Kalki 2898 AD, Pushpa: The Rule Part - 02, Stree 2 and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 were recognised in popular or technical categories.
At the same time, films including Bramayugam, Amaran, Maharaja, Mithya, Feminichi Fathima and Committee Kurrollu received major national or language-specific honours.
The acting awards also crossed industries, with Mammootty and Kartik Aaryan sharing the principal male acting honour.
The presentation to Anant Nag added a lifetime-achievement focus to a ceremony otherwise centred on films made in 2024.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won Best Actor at the 72nd National Film Awards?
Mammootty and Kartik Aaryan jointly won Best Actor in a Leading Role. Mammootty was honoured for Bramayugam and Kartik Aaryan for Chandu Champion.
Who won Best Actress at the National Film Awards 2026?
Yami Gautam won Best Actress in a Leading Role for Article 370.
Which film won Best Feature Film?
Article 370, directed by Aditya Suhas Jambhale, won Best Feature Film.
Who received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2026?
Veteran actor Anant Nag received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2024 at the September 22 ceremony.
Where were the 72nd National Film Awards held?
The ceremony was held at Ekta Nagar, Kevadia, in Gujarat's Narmada district near the Statue of Unity.
Where was the National Film Awards ceremony streamed?
DD National streamed the September 22 ceremony through its YouTube channel.
Bottom Line
The 72nd National Film Awards were presented at Ekta Nagar, Gujarat, with Anant Nag receiving the Dadasaheb Phalke Award.
Article 370 won Best Feature Film, Yami Gautam won Best Actress, and Mammootty and Kartik Aaryan shared Best Actor. The ceremony marked the first time the awards were held outside New Delhi.
Key Takeaway
Anant Nag receives Dadasaheb Phalke Award.
Article 370 wins Best Feature Film; Yami Gautam Best Actress.
The Rajatheertha Team publishes news, explainers, guides and updates across India and the world. Our coverage follows Rajatheertha's editorial, verification and corrections standards.
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