Mammootty, Yami Gautam lead winners at National Film Awards.
This year’s National Film Awards honoured exceptional storytelling, remarkable performances and cinematic excellence from filmmakers across India.
Mammootty, Yami Gautam and Kartik Aaryan headline 72nd National Film Awards winners
New Delhi: The 72nd National Film Awards celebrated the finest achievements in Indian cinema, honouring outstanding performances, compelling storytelling and technical excellence across feature films, non-feature films and writing on cinema. Organised by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the awards recognised films certified by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) between January 1 and December 31, 2024, highlighting the creativity and diversity of filmmakers from across the country.
The winners were announced at the National Media Centre in New Delhi by an 11-member jury chaired by acclaimed filmmaker Jayaraj. This year’s honours reflected the wide-ranging strengths of Indian cinema, rewarding films that combined artistic merit, commercial appeal and meaningful social themes. Productions from multiple languages earned recognition, reaffirming the National Film Awards as the country’s highest cinematic honour.
One of the biggest winners of the evening was Article 370, which secured the prestigious Best Feature Film award. The political drama also earned Yami Gautam the Best Actress honour for her widely praised performance, making the film one of the most celebrated titles of the year. Its success extended beyond acting, with Shashwat Sachdev winning Best Music Direction (Songs), further strengthening the film’s impressive awards tally.
Veteran Malayalam superstar Mammootty added another milestone to his illustrious career by winning the Best Actor award for his powerful performance in the critically acclaimed horror drama Bramayugam. Sharing the honour was Kartik Aaryan, who received his maiden National Award for portraying Paralympic champion Murlikant Petkar in Chandu Champion. The joint recognition celebrated two very different performances that impressed audiences and critics alike.
Director Rajkumar Periasamy received the Best Director award for Amaran, a film praised for its storytelling and emotional depth. The film also earned recognition for Best Background Score, while editor Kalaivannan won Best Editing, underlining the film’s technical excellence.
In the supporting acting categories, Sanjay Mishra won Best Supporting Actor for his memorable role in Bhakshak. The Best Supporting Actress award was shared by Ropashree Varkady for Mithya and Sachana Namidass for Maharaja, recognising two impactful performances that stood out during the year.
Science fiction blockbuster Kalki 2898 AD was honoured as the Best Feature Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment and also received recognition for its production design. Meanwhile, Captain Miller won the award for Best Film Promoting National and Social Values, acknowledging its socially relevant narrative and powerful message. Actor Dhanush also received a Special Mention for his performance in the film.
The awards honoured excellence across several technical categories. Shehnad Jalaal won Best Cinematography for the visually striking Bramayugam, while filmmaker Sukumar received Best Screenplay for Pushpa 2. Venky Atluri won Best Dialogue Writer for Lucky Baskhar, and Anl Arasu received the award for Best Action Direction for Maharaja.
Other notable winners included Committee Kurrollu, which earned the award for Best Make-Up Artist. Deepali Noor and Sheetal Sharma won Best Costume Design for Pushpa 2. Lyricist Manoj Muntashir received Best Lyrics for Maidaan, while Abhay Jodhpurkar and Vaikom Vijayalakshmi won the awards for Best Male Playback Singer and Best Female Playback Singer, respectively.
Regional cinema once again played a significant role in the awards, with outstanding films from Assamese, Bengali, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati, Manipuri, Konkani, Tulu and Garhwali languages receiving recognition.
In the non-feature categories, Bhangaar (Obsolete) won Best Non-Feature Film, Ram Nami received the Best Documentary award, and Hamsafar was recognised as Best Short Film. Touched as Water won Best Animation Film, while Piplantri: A Tale of Eco Feminism was honoured for promoting social and environmental values. Special Mention awards also went to Suren G for Meiyazhagan. In the writing categories, Sanjeev Shrivastava won Best Film Critic, while Kenchanuru Pradeep Kumar Shetty received the award for Best Book on Cinema.
The 72nd National Film Awards once again showcased the strength of Indian cinema by celebrating films that entertained audiences while addressing meaningful social issues. From Mammootty’s latest National Award triumph to Kartik Aaryan’s first victory and Yami Gautam’s memorable Best Actress win, this year’s honours reflected a blend of legendary talent, emerging performers and exceptional filmmaking that continues to elevate Indian cinema on the global stage.