National Film Awards Honour Anant Nag, Yami Gautam, Kartik Aaryan and Mammootty

President Droupadi Murmu presented the 72nd National Film Awards at a ceremony in Ekta Nagar, Gujarat, on September 22, recognising achievements in Indian cinema from the 2024 eligibility year.

Veteran actor Anant Nag received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for his long contribution to Indian film. The honour is the country’s highest award for lifetime achievement in cinema.

Kartik Aaryan and Mammootty received Best Actor honours, while Yami Gautam was named Best Actress. The ceremony also recognised Randeep Hooda with the award for Best Debut Director.

Article 370 received the Best Feature Film award. The wider list of honours included achievements in screenplay, music, production design, costume design, sound and stunt choreography, reflecting the collaborative work behind film production.

Regional-language cinema formed a major part of the awards. Chalchitra Ekhon was recognised as Best Bengali Film, Srikanth as Best Hindi Film, Mithya as Best Kannada Film, Feminichi Fathima as Best Malayalam Film and Raayan as Best Tamil Film, alongside winners in several other languages.

The ceremony was held outside New Delhi, placing the national event in Gujarat’s Ekta Nagar. It brought together performers, directors, technicians and producers from across the country’s film industries.