72nd National Film Awards: Anant Nag, Mammootty and Yami Gautam take top honours

EKTA NAGAR: The 72nd National Film Awards stepped outside Delhi for the first time, bringing Indian cinema’s biggest annual celebration to Ekta Nagar in Gujarat, where President Droupadi Murmu conferred the honours and presented veteran actor Anant Nag with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2024.

The ceremony, held on 22 September, recognised cinematic achievements for 2024 across feature films, non-feature films and writing on cinema. It also marked the beginning of the government’s plan to take future editions of the National Film Awards to different states and cities.

Addressing the film fraternity, President Murmu congratulated the award winners and highlighted the collaborative nature of filmmaking, asking them to acknowledge the contribution of everyone involved in their projects.

She said Indian cinema reflects the country’s diverse languages, traditions, aspirations and struggles, and welcomed Ekta Nagar as the venue for the awards.

The President also called for greater dignity and social security for workers, small artists, assistants and others working across the creative economy. She urged greater participation of women in award juries to bring a wider human perspective to the selection process.

With popular artists having a strong influence on children and young people, Murmu also urged successful members of the film fraternity to promote disciplined and healthy lifestyles and avoid endorsing substances harmful to health.

The evening’s lifetime honour went to Anant Nag, who received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2024 from the President.

The veteran actor, whose career spans more than five decades, recalled growing up in an ashram before moving to Mumbai and finding his way into theatre. He went on to perform in around 50 plays before entering films and later worked with filmmakers including Shyam Benegal.

Nag also spoke about his decision to make Kannada cinema his focus and Bengaluru his karmabhoomi. He expressed gratitude for the honour and for the affection he has received from audiences over the decades.

Union minister for information and broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw said the decision to take the awards beyond Delhi is aimed at showcasing India’s cultural diversity while promoting tourism.

He invited states and Union territories to suggest prominent tourist destinations for future editions of the National Film Awards.

Vaishnaw also highlighted the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies as a new talent pool, noting that around 380 students have enrolled in 13 courses. He said the government has approved 15,000 Creative Labs across the country to create opportunities for young people to learn emerging technologies and showcase Indian culture.

He also called on filmmakers and the wider creative community to identify and nurture talent from smaller towns.

The minister invited suggestions for WAVES 2027, which is scheduled to be held in October next year.

The 72nd National Film Awards recognised films and talent across a wide range of languages and genres. Article 370 was named Best Feature Film, while Mammootty for Bramayugam and Kartik Aaryan for Chandu Champion shared the Best Actor in a Leading Role award. Yami Gautam won Best Actress in a Leading Role for Article 370.

Randeep Hooda was recognised for his directorial debut Swatantrya Veer Savarkar, while Kalki 2898 AD won Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. Captain Miller was honoured as Best Feature Film Promoting National, Social and Environmental Values, with Rajkumar Periasamy receiving Best Direction for Amaran.

The awards also highlighted cinema beyond the major scheduled languages. Dholi won Best Garhwali Film, IMBU was named Best Tulu Film and Santhali film Angen received the Best Debut Film of a Director award for Ravi Raj Murmu.

According to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, 400 feature films across 34 languages and 161 non-feature films across 24 languages were submitted for the 72nd National Film Awards. The ceremony ultimately conferred 22 Feature Film and 23 Non-Feature Film awards.

The move to Ekta Nagar gives the National Film Awards a new geographical identity, with the government planning to take the ceremony to other parts of the country in future editions.

The next stop may be elsewhere, but the message from Ekta Nagar was clear: Indian cinema’s national stage is becoming a little less Delhi-centric and a lot more representative of the country’s many film cultures.