The 72nd National Film Awards 2026 winners have been announced, with Article 370 winning Best Feature Film, while Mammootty and Kartik Aaryan jointly won Best Actor in a Leading Role for Bramayugam and Chandu Champion, respectively. Yami Gautam won Best Actress for Article 370, while Rajkumar Periasamy won Best Director for Amaran.
The awards recognise Indian films certified during 2024, while the winners were announced on July 18, 2026. The awards ceremony was held on September 22 at Ekta Nagar in Gujarat, marking the first time the ceremony was hosted outside New Delhi.
Who won the 72nd National Film Awards 2026?
The major 72nd National Film Awards winners include:
| Category | Winner | Film |
|---|---|---|
| Best Feature Film | Article 370 | Article 370 |
| Best Actor in a Leading Role | Mammootty | Bramayugam |
| Best Actor in a Leading Role | Kartik Aaryan | Chandu Champion |
| Best Actress in a Leading Role | Yami Gautam | Article 370 |
| Best Director | Rajkumar Periasamy | Amaran |
| Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment | Kalki 2898 AD | Kalki 2898 AD |
| Best Debut Film of a Director | Randeep Hooda | Swatantrya Veer Savarkar |
| Best Supporting Actor | Sanjay Mishra | Bhakshak |
| Best Non-Feature Film | Bhangaar | Marathi/English |
| Best Documentary | Ram-Nami | Hindi |
The principal winners are listed in the Government of India's official National Film Awards factsheet.
Who won Best Actor at the 72nd National Film Awards?
There were two winners for Best Actor in a Leading Role.
Mammootty won for his performance in the Malayalam film Bramayugam, while Kartik Aaryan received the same honour for Chandu Champion. The award was therefore shared between the two actors.
For Mammootty, the award marks another major National Film Award recognition for his career. His winning performance in Bramayugam was for the character Kodumon Potti.
Who won Best Actress at the 72nd National Film Awards?
Yami Gautam won the Best Actress in a Leading Role award for Article 370. The film also took home the night's Best Feature Film honour.
Her win is likely to generate particular interest among viewers searching for Yami Gautam National Award, Article 370 National Award and 72nd National Film Awards Best Actress.
Which film won Best Feature Film?
Article 370 won the Best Feature Film award at the 72nd National Film Awards.
The film was directed by Aditya Suhas Jambhale, with Jio Studios and B62 Studios credited as producers.
The film's recognition extended beyond the Best Feature Film category, with Yami Gautam winning Best Actress for her performance.
Who won Best Director at the 72nd National Film Awards?
Rajkumar Periasamy won Best Direction for the Tamil film Amaran.
Amaran, starring Sivakarthikeyan and Sai Pallavi, was among the films receiving major recognition at the 72nd edition.
It is worth distinguishing this award from Best Debut Film of a Director. Randeep Hooda won the latter for Swatantrya Veer Savarkar.
Which film won Best Music Director?
The 72nd National Film Awards recognised music in two separate areas.
Shashwat Sachdev won for Songs for Article 370, while G. V. Prakash Kumar won for Background Music for Amaran.
This distinction is important because searches for 72nd National Film Awards Best Music Director can refer to either component of the music category.
What is the 72nd National Film Awards movie list?
The awards covered films certified during 2024, across feature films, non-feature films and writing on cinema. The official factsheet says the 72nd edition recognised films from several Indian languages, including Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi and Santhali, among others.
Some of the major films appearing in the winners' list include:
- Article 370
- Bramayugam
- Chandu Champion
- Amaran
- Kalki 2898 AD
- Captain Miller
- Bhakshak
- Maharaja
- Mithya
- Swatantrya Veer Savarkar
- 35 – Chinna Katha Kaadu
The complete official list contains awards across acting, direction, cinematography, music, editing, technical categories, regional cinema and non-feature films.
When were the 72nd National Film Awards winners announced?
The 72nd National Film Awards winners were announced on July 18, 2026 by the chairpersons of the three juries.
This means the commonly searched question “When will the 72nd National Film Awards be announced?” now has a clear answer: the winner announcement has already taken place.
The subsequent awards ceremony was held on September 22, 2026, when President Droupadi Murmu presented the honours at Ekta Nagar, Gujarat.
What time were the 72nd National Film Awards announced?
The winners were announced on July 18, 2026, rather than during the September ceremony.
If you're referring to the award presentation ceremony, it took place on September 22 in Gujarat. News On AIR reported that President Droupadi Murmu presented the awards during the ceremony at Ekta Nagar.
Therefore, searches such as “72nd National Film Awards announcement time” and “72nd National Film Awards ceremony time” refer to two different events.
Where were the 72nd National Film Awards held?
The 2026 ceremony was held at Ekta Nagar, Gujarat, near the Statue of Unity.
This was a notable change from the traditional arrangement because the National Film Awards ceremony was held outside New Delhi for the first time. The Government has said future editions will also travel to different states and cities.
Who received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award?
Veteran actor Anant Nag received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2024, the highest honour associated with Indian cinema.
The Government announced his selection on September 16, 2026. The official factsheet notes that Nag has appeared in more than 300 films across six Indian languages and has had a career spanning more than five decades.
Why are the 72nd National Film Awards being discussed so much?
This year's awards have several notable talking points: the ceremony moved to Gujarat, Article 370 won Best Feature Film, Yami Gautam won Best Actress, and Mammootty and Kartik Aaryan shared Best Actor.
The edition also recognised films from a broad range of Indian languages and included the first recognition for a Santhali film in the Non-Feature Film section.
FAQs
Who won the 72nd National Film Awards Best Actor?
Mammootty for Bramayugam and Kartik Aaryan for Chandu Champion jointly won Best Actor in a Leading Role.
Which movie won Best Feature Film at the 72nd National Film Awards?
Article 370 won Best Feature Film.
Who won Best Director at the 72nd National Film Awards?
Rajkumar Periasamy won Best Direction for Amaran.
Who won Best Actress at the 72nd National Film Awards?
Yami Gautam won Best Actress in a Leading Role for Article 370.
Who won the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2026?
Anant Nag received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2024 at the 72nd National Film Awards ceremony.
When were the 72nd National Film Awards announced?
The winners were announced on July 18, 2026, while the presentation ceremony took place on September 22, 2026, at Ekta Nagar, Gujarat.