India celebrated the best of its film industry on Saturday as the winners of the 72nd National Film Awards were announced in New Delhi, recognising outstanding achievements across feature and non-feature films in multiple languages.
The country’s highest film honours rewarded excellence in mainstream, regional and independent cinema, with top awards going to actors, filmmakers, technicians and musicians from across India.
Yami Gautam won Best Actress for her performance in Article 370, while Kartik Aaryan and Malayalam superstar Mammootty shared the Best Actor award for Chandu Champion and Bramayugam, respectively.
Article 370 received the Best Feature Film award and also won Best Background Music for composer Shashwat Sachdev.
Rajkumar Periasamy was named Best Director for Amaran, while Srikanth won Best Hindi Film.
The science-fiction epic Kalki 2898 AD claimed Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment and Best Production Design. Pushpa: The Rule Part 2 secured awards for Best Costume Design and Best Screenplay.
Regional cinema also enjoyed strong recognition. Raayan won Best Tamil Film, Committee Kurrollu took Best Telugu Film, Feminichi Fathima was named Best Malayalam Film, Mithya won Best Kannada Film, Chalvhitra Ekhon received Best Bengali Film and Mukkam Post Bombilwadi claimed Best Marathi Film.
In the technical categories, Shehnad Jalal won Best Cinematography for Bramayugam. R. Kalaivannan received Best Editing for Amaran, while Manas Choudhury won Best Sound Design for Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3.
Sanjay Mishra was honoured as Best Supporting Actor for Bhakshak. Sachana Namidass won Best Supporting Actress for the Tamil film Maharaja.
35 – Chinna Katha Kaadu was named Best Children’s Film, while Captain Miller won Best Film Promoting National or Social Values. Swatantrya Veer Savarkar received the Best Debut Film award.
Vaikom Vijayalakshmi won Best Female Playback Singer for the Malayalam song Angu Vaana Konilu from A.R.M. Abhay Jodhpurkar was named Best Male Playback Singer for the Marathi song Navasachi Gauri Mazi from Gharat Ganpati.
The awards also recognised achievements in non-feature filmmaking. Bhangaar (Obsolete) won Best Non-Fiction Film, Ram-Nami received Best Documentary Film, Hamsafar was named Best Short Film and Touched As Water won Best Animation Film.
Piplantri: A Tale of Eco Feminism earned the award for Best Non-Feature Film Promoting Social and Environmental Values, while Aanand L. Rai won Best Direction in the non-feature category for Statue of Unity: Ekta Ka Prateek.
The National Film Awards continue to serve as India’s highest official recognition for cinematic excellence, celebrating achievements across the country’s diverse film industries.
