CityLightBuzz: Ekta Nagar, Gujarat | September 22, 2026: The 72nd National Film Awards, recognising excellence in Indian cinema for films certified in 2024, were presented by President Droupadi Murmu at a ceremony held in Ekta Nagar, Kevadia, Gujarat. Veteran actor Anant Nag was conferred the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2024 for his outstanding contribution to Indian cinema.
The ceremony celebrated achievements across feature films, acting, direction, music, writing, technical crafts and regional cinema. President Murmu congratulated the award winners and highlighted the contribution of filmmakers and artists in reflecting India’s diverse culture, traditions and experiences through cinema.
Major Award Winners
Article 370’ received the Best Feature Film award, while Yami Gautam was honoured as Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in the film. Mammootty, for Bramayugam, and Kartik Aaryan, for Chandu Champion, jointly received the Best Actor in a Leading Role award.
Rajkumar Periasamy won Best Director for Amaran. Randeep Hooda received the Best Debut Film of a Director award for Swatantrya Veer Savarkar. Meanwhile, Kalki 2898 AD was honoured as the Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment.
The awards also recognised several major creative and technical contributions. Sukumar received the award for Best Screenplay (Original) for Pushpa 2: The Rule, while Venky Atluri was honoured for Best Dialogue Writer for Lucky Baskhar. Nitin Zihani Choudhary received the Best Production Design award for Kalki 2898 AD.In the music categories, Shashwat Sachdev was recognised for Article 370, while G.V. Prakash Kumar received recognition for the background score of
Amaran.
Telugu Cinema Makes Its Mark
Telugu cinema received a special honour with ‘Committee Kurrollu’ winning the Best Telugu Film award. The recognition marks a significant achievement for producer Niharika Konidela, director Yadhu Vamsee and the entire team behind the film.
The film, which introduced a large ensemble of new talent and explored themes of friendship, social divisions, identity and community, went on to receive national recognition at the prestigious awards. The honour was formally presented at the ceremony in Gujarat.
Supporting Performances Honoured
Sanjay Mishra received the Best Supporting Actor award for Bhakshak. Ropashree Varkady for Mithya and Sachana Namidass for Maharaja shared the Best Supporting Actress honour.
The 72nd National Film Awards brought together celebrated performers, filmmakers and technicians from across India’s diverse film industries, highlighting the range of languages, stories and creative traditions represented in Indian cinema.
