The 72nd National Film Awards ceremony concluded on September 22 at Ekta Nagar in Kevadia, Gujarat, marking a historic first as President Droupadi Murmu presented 92 honours for the 2024 award year outside New Delhi.
Organised near the Statue of Unity, the prestigious event celebrated artistic excellence across Indian languages, featuring major acting splits, landmark feature triumphs, and explicit presidential calls for celebrity social responsibility.
Veterans and contemporary performers shared the spotlight. Kannada cinema titan Anant Nag received the 2024 Dadasaheb Phalke Award for his five-decade contribution spanning over 300 films.
In the feature film categories, Aditya Suhas Jambhale’s political thriller Article 370 secured Best Feature Film alongside a Best Actress win for Yami Gautam and Best Music Direction for Shashwat Sachdev.
The Best Actor in a Leading Role accolade was shared between Malayalam actor Mammootty’s Bramayugam, marking his fourth national award, and Kartik Aaryan’s Chandu Champion.
Key directorial and technical honours went to Rajkumar Periasamy for Amaran, Randeep Hooda as Best Debut Director for Swatantrya Veer Savarkar, and Nag Ashwin’s Kalki 2898 AD as Best Popular Film.
Regional feature awards recognised Tushar Hiranandani’s Srikanth as Best Hindi Film, Dhanush’s Raayan as Best Tamil Film, and Feminichi Fathima as Best Malayalam Film. In non-feature categories, Sumira Roy’s Bhangaar captured Best Non-Feature Film, while Bharatbala Ganapathy’s Ram-Nami took Best Documentary. Supporting performances and specialised artistic achievements also received national acclaim during the ceremony. Sanjay Mishra picked up the Best Supporting Actor trophy for Bhakshak, whilst the Best Supporting Actress award was jointly presented to Sachana Namidass and Ropashree Varkady.
Musical achievements were further celebrated through Abhay Jodhpurkar and Vaikom Vijayalakshmi, who won the male and female playback singing honours respectively, showcasing the wide variety of artistic talent across regional film industries.
Beyond presenting traditional accolades, President Murmu utilised the platform to address broader societal issues.
Addressing the audience, she urged high-profile celebrities to avoid endorsing health-harming products like pan masala, highlighting their immense influence over impressionable young audiences.
Additionally, the President called for increased female participation on jury panels to ensure balanced perspectives across humanity.