The 72nd National Film Awards will honour the best of Indian cinema from 2024, with the ceremony set to take place in Gujarat. The President of India will present the awards on September 22, 2026, at Ekta Nagar (Kevadia) in the presence of actors, filmmakers, technicians and other members of the film industry.
The prestigious ceremony will take place at the foot of the Statue of Unity (SoU) in Gujarat, with President Droupadi Murmu set to honour the 92 winners, according to ANI.
Major Winners
Article 370 has been chosen as the Best Feature Film, while Bhangaar has been named Best Non-Feature Film. Ram-Nami will be honoured as the Best Documentary by the Jury.
The Best Actor in a Leading Role honour will be shared by Mammootty for Bramayugam and Kartik Aaryan for Chandu Champion. Yami Gautam has won Best Actress in a Leading Role for Article 370. Randeep Hooda has also been recognised as Best Debut Director for Swatantrya Veer Savarkar.
Filmmaker Aanand L Rai won Best Direction in the non-feature category for Statue of Unity — Ekta Ka Prateek, a documentary on the landmark where this year's ceremony will be held.
Films such as Kalki 2898 AD, Amaran, Pushpa: The Rule Part-02, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 and Stree 2 will also receive honours in different categories.
The awards also recognise film criticism and books about cinema. Sanjeev Shrivastava has been named Best Film Critic.
The Best Book on Cinema award will go to Naaniruvude Nimagaagi Naadiruvude Nanagaagi: Kannada Cinemada Thathva matthu Rajakeeya (I Stand for You, the State Stands for Us: Political and Philosophical Dimensions of Kannada Cinema). The book is written by Dr. Pradeep Kenchanuru and published by Mirror Pusthaka.
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About The Awards
The National Film Awards were started in 1954 and are among India's most respected awards for cinema. They recognise creative and technical work across feature films, non-feature films and writing related to cinema.
This year, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has decided to take the ceremony outside the National Capital. The awards will now be held in different parts of the country, with this year's event taking place at Ekta Nagar. The move aims to celebrate India's regional diversity and promote the spirit of ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat'.
The 72nd edition recognises films in several languages, including Marathi, Santhali, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, Tulu and Garhwali. For the first time, a Santhali film will also receive an honour in the Non-Feature Film section.
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