The winners of the 72nd National Film Awards were announced on July 18, celebrating the finest achievements in Indian cinema. This year’s awards honoured films certified by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) between January 1 and December 31, 2024.
The biggest winner of the ceremony was Article 370, which won Best Feature Film, while Yami Gautam received the Best Actress award for her performance in the political thriller.
In one of the biggest highlights of the awards, Mammootty and Kartik Aaryan shared the Best Actor honour for their performances in Bramayugam and Chandu Champion, respectively.
Mammootty and Kartik Aaryan Win Best Actor
Malayalam superstar Mammootty was recognised for his critically acclaimed role in the horror thriller Bramayugam.
Bollywood actor Kartik Aaryan also took home the Best Actor award for portraying India’s first Paralympic gold medallist Murlikant Petkar in the sports drama Chandu Champion.
Yami Gautam Wins Best Actress
Yami Gautam earned her first National Film Award after winning Best Actress for her role as NIA officer Zooni Haksar in Article 370.
The film also emerged as the biggest winner by claiming the Best Feature Film award and Best Music Direction (Songs) for composer Shashwat Sachdev.
Rajkumar Periasamy Named Best Director
Filmmaker Rajkumar Periasamy won the Best Director award for directing the Tamil biographical action drama Amaran.
The film also secured the award for Best Music Direction (Background Score) and Best Editing.
Other Major Winners
Several films across different languages were honoured during the ceremony.
Kalki 2898 AD won the award for Best Feature Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, while Captain Miller received the honour for Best Film Promoting National, Social and Environmental Values.
Sanjay Mishra won Best Supporting Actor for Bhakshak, while Ropashree Varkady (Mithya) and Sachana Namidass (Maharaja) shared the Best Supporting Actress award.
72nd National Film Awards 2026: Major Winners
- Best Feature Film: Article 370
- Best Actor: Mammootty (Bramayugam) and Kartik Aaryan (Chandu Champion)
- Best Actress: Yami Gautam (Article 370)
- Best Director: Rajkumar Periasamy (Amaran)
- Best Supporting Actor: Sanjay Mishra (Bhakshak)
- Best Supporting Actress: Ropashree Varkady (Mithya) and Sachana Namidass (Maharaja)
- Best Feature Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment: Kalki 2898 AD
- Best Film Promoting National, Social and Environmental Values: Captain Miller
- Best Screenplay: Sukumar (Pushpa 2)
- Best Dialogue Writer: Venky Atluri (Lucky Baskhar)
- Best Cinematography: Shehnad Jalaal (Bramayugam)
- Best Production Design: Kalki 2898 AD
- Best Costume Design: Deepali Noor and Sheetal Sharma (Pushpa 2)
- Best Music Direction (Songs): Shashwat Sachdev (Article 370)
- Best Music Direction (Background Score): Amaran
- Best Male Playback Singer: Abhay Jodhpurkar (Gharat Ganpati)
- Best Female Playback Singer: Vaikom Vijayalakshmi (ARM)
- Best Choreography: Stree 2
- Best Sound Design: Manas Choudhury (Bhool Bhulaiya 3)
- Best Editing: R. Kalaivannan (Amaran)
Best Regional Films
The awards also recognised excellence across regional cinema.
- Best Hindi Film: Srikanth
- Best Malayalam Film: Feminichi Fathima
- Best Tamil Film: Raayan
- Best Telugu Film: Committee Kurrollu
- Best Kannada Film: Mithya
- Best Bengali Film: Chalchitra Ekhon
- Best Marathi Film: Mukkam Post Bombilwadi
- Best Odia Film: Lahari
- Best Gujarati Film: Maaran
- Best Manipuri Film: Sunita
- Best Konkani Film: Mog Asum
Non-Feature Film Winners
In the non-feature film category, Bhangaar (Obsolete) won Best Non-Feature Film, while Ram-Nami was named Best Documentary.
Other winners included Hamsafar for Best Short Film, Touched as Water for Best Animation Film, and Piplantri: A Tale of Eco Feminism for Best Non-Feature Film Promoting Social and Environmental Values.
The 72nd National Film Awards once again celebrated the diversity of Indian cinema, recognising outstanding work across feature films, documentaries, regional cinema, music, writing, and technical categories.
