The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Saturday (July 18) announced the winners of the 72nd National Film Awards at the National Media Centre in New Delhi.
The Best Actor award (Shared) went to Kartik Aayan for ‘Chandu Champion’ and Mammootty for ‘Bramayugam’. Actress Yami Gautam won Best Actress for ‘Article 370’. The award for Best Hindi Film went to Rajkumar Rao-starrer ‘Srikanth’. The award for Best Telegu Film went to ‘Committee Kurrollu’. The award for Best Tamil Film went to ‘Raayan’. ‘Mukkam Post Bombilwadi’ won the Best Marathi Film award. The National Award for the Best Malayalam Film went to ‘Feminichi Fathima’. Sumath Bhat’s ‘Mithya’ won the Best Kannada Film award.
Best Screenplay (Dialouge) award went to Venky Atluri for Telegu film ‘Lucky Bhaskar’. Best Screenplay Writer award went to Bandreddi Sukumar for ‘Puphpa – 2’. The National Award for Best Cinematography went to Shehnad Jalal for Malayalam film ‘Bramayugam’.
The awards honoured films certified by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) between January 1, 2024, and December 31, 2024. This year’s winners were selected by an 11-member jury headed by filmmaker Jayaraj, which evaluated entries from across the country before submitting its recommendations to the Ministry. During the official presser, Jayaraj said that the jury selected the winners from 400 feature films submissions.
This year’s National Film Awards announcement comes nearly two weeks later than expected. The delay was attributed to the jury requiring additional time to complete the evaluation process and finalise the winners. Scheduling commitments involving some jury members also contributed to the postponement.
During this period, media organisations and industry observers were urged to refrain from speculation until the selection process was complete.
The 2024 film calendar saw Indian cinema earn both critical and commercial success across languages. All We Imagine As Light and Laapataa Ladies drew international acclaim, while Pushpa 2: The Rule, Stree 2, Hanu Man, Manjummel Boys and Premalu led at the box office.
National Film Awards Winners 2026 Winners Full List
Feature Films category
| Category | Winner |
| Best Feature Film | Article 370 |
| Best Actor | Kartik Aaryan (Chandu Champion), Mammootty (Bramayugam) |
| Best Actress | Yami Gautam (Article 370) |
| Best Director | Rajkumar Periasamy (Amaran) |
| Best Supporting Actress | Ropashree Varkady (Mithya), Sachana Namidass (Maharaja) |
| Best Supporting Actor | Sanjay Mishra (Bhakshak) |
| Best Feature Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment | Kalki 2898 AD |
| Best Film Promoting National, Social Values | Captain Miller |
| Best Child Artist | Riddhiman Banerjee, Tapomoy Deb, Gitashree Chakraborty, Arundev Pothula, Athish S Shetty |
| Best Cinematography | Shehnad Jalaal (Bramayugam) |
| Best Screenplay | Sukumar (Pushpa 2) |
| Best Dialogue Writer | Venky Atluri (Lucky Baskhar) |
| Best Production Design | Nitin Zihani Choudhary (Kalki 2898 AD) |
| Best Action Direction | Anl Arasu (Maharaja) |
| Best Make-Up Artist | P Ravi Kumar (Committee Kurrollu) |
| Best Costume Designer | Deepali Noor & Sheetal Sharma (Pushpa 2) |
| Best Music Direction (Songs) | Shashwat Sachdev (Article 370) |
| Best Background Music | GV Prakash (Amaran) |
| Best Lyrics | Manoj Muntashir (Maidaan) |
| Best Male Playback Singer | Abhay Jodhpurkar (Gharat Ganpati from Navasachi Gauri Mazi) |
| Best Female Playback Singer | Vaikom Vijayalakshmi (Angu Vaana Konilu from ARM) |
| Best Choreography | Vijay Ganguly (Stree 2) |
| Best Sound Design | Manas Choudhury (Bhool Bhulaiya 3) |
| Best Editing | R Kalaivannan (Amaran) |
| Best Assamese Film | Juiphool |
| Best Bengali Film | Chalchitra Ekhon |
| Best Hindi Film | Srikanth |
| Best Kannada Film | Mithya |
| Best Malayalam Film | Feminichi Fathima |
| Best Marathi Film | Mukkam Post Bombilwadi |
| Best Odia Film | Lahari |
| Best Tamil Film | Raayan |
| Best Garhwali Film | Dholi |
| Best Telugu Film | Committee Kurrollu |
| Best Gujarati Film | Maaran |
| Best Manipuri Film | Sunita |
| Best Konkani Film | Mog Asum |
| Best Tulu Film | IMBU |
The National Film Awards, India’s highest recognition in cinema, honour the finest talent and storytelling across feature and non-feature films, celebrating excellence in acting, direction, screenwriting, music, cinematography, editing, technical craftsmanship and writing on cinema.