The Indian film fraternity gathered in New Delhi on July 18, 2026, to celebrate the cinematic brilliance of 2024 as the winners of the 72nd National Film Awards were officially announced. The prestigious awards, which recognize outstanding achievements across feature films, non-feature films, and writing on cinema, highlighted a year of diverse and impactful storytelling.
The political thriller Article 370 emerged as the night’s biggest winner, securing the coveted title of Best Feature Film. The film’s success was further bolstered by Yami Gautam, who took home the Best Actress award for her compelling performance, and composer Shashwat Sachdev, who won Best Music Direction (Songs).
Yami Gautam achieved a significant career milestone by winning the Best Actress award for Article 370.
Her nuanced portrayal balanced emotional restraint with commanding screen presence, making her performance one of the most talked-about aspects of the film.
The award marks a landmark achievement in her career and further establishes her as one of Bollywood’s most dependable performers.
The Best Actor award was shared between two titans of the industry: Kartik Aaryan, honoured for his transformative role in the sports drama Chandu Champion, and the legendary Mammootty, who received the accolade for his haunting performance in Bramayugam. This win marks Mammootty’s fourth National Award for Best Actor, cementing his status as one of Indian cinema’s most decorated performers.
Rajkumar Periasamy was named Best Director for his biographical war drama Amaran, a film that also earned recognition for Best Editing (R. Kalaivannan) and Best Background Music (G.V. Prakash Kumar).
The award for Best Feature Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment went to Nag Ashwin’s science-fiction epic Kalki 2898 AD, which also secured the award for Best Production Design. Meanwhile, Randeep Hooda received the Best Debut Film of a Director award for his dedicated work on Swatantrya Veer Savarkar.
The awards also highlighted remarkable performances in supporting roles. Sanjay Mishra won Best Supporting Actor for his work in Bhakshak, while the Best Supporting Actress award was jointly shared by Ropashree Varkady for Mithya and Sachana Namidass for Maharaja.
The diversity of Indian regional cinema was on full display:
- Best Hindi Film: Srikanth
- Best Tamil Film: Raayan
- Best Telugu Film: Committee Kurrollu
- Best Malayalam Film: Feminichi Fathima
- Best Kannada Film: Mithya
- Best Film Promoting National, Social and Environmental Values: Captain Miller
Technical excellence was celebrated across various disciplines, with notable wins including:
- Best Screenplay (Original): Sukumar for Pushpa 2: The Rule
- Best Cinematography: Shehnad Jalal for Bramayugam
- Best Choreography: Vijay Ganguly for the chart-topping song “Aayi Nai” from Stree 2
- Best Lyrics: Manoj Muntashir for the song “Jaane Do” from Maidaan
The 72nd National Film Awards once again highlighted the remarkable diversity of Indian cinema by recognizing films across languages, genres, and storytelling styles. From socially relevant political dramas and biographical sports films to psychological thrillers, science-fiction spectacles, and regional masterpieces, this year’s winners represented the evolving landscape of Indian filmmaking.
Article 370 emerged as the biggest winner with two major honours, while Kartik Aaryan, Mammootty, Yami Gautam, Rajkumar Periasamy, and Randeep Hooda celebrated career-defining achievements. At the same time, blockbuster films like Kalki 2898 AD, Pushpa 2: The Rule, Amaran, Raayan, and Srikanth further demonstrated the growing scale and creative ambition of Indian cinema.
The awards reaffirmed that compelling storytelling, exceptional performances, and technical excellence continue to define the future of Indian films, making the 72nd National Film Awards another memorable celebration of cinematic brilliance.
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