72nd National Film Awards set for 22 September in Gujarat

MUMBAI: The red carpet is ready to roll, and Indian cinema is preparing for its biggest roll call of recognition as the 72nd National Film Awards take centre stage at Ekta Nagar in Gujarat on 22 September 2026.

The President of India will present the awards, honouring achievements in Indian cinema for 2024. Instituted in 1954, the National Film Awards recognise creative and technical excellence across feature films, non-feature films and writing on cinema, covering the country’s many languages, regions and filmmaking traditions.

One of the evening’s biggest moments will be the presentation of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2024 to veteran actor Anant Nag. The honour recognises his contribution to Indian cinema and a career spanning more than five decades. Nag has worked across Kannada, Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil and Marathi cinema and has appeared in more than 300 films.

The competitive awards have a strong mix of mainstream hits and critically recognised films. Article 370 has been named Best Feature Film, while Bhangaar takes the Best Non-Feature Film honour and Ram-Nami has been selected as Best Documentary.

The acting honours bring together two generations of leading performers, with Mammootty winning Best Actor in a Leading Role for Bramayugam and Kartik Aaryan sharing the award for Chandu Champion. Yami Gautam has been named Best Actress in a Leading Role for Article 370. Randeep Hooda will receive the Best Debut Film of a Director award for Swatantrya Veer Savarkar.

The winners also include several films that made a sizeable mark at the box office and in popular culture. Kalki 2898 AD has been recognised as Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, while Amaran won Best Direction for Rajkumar Periasamy. Captain Miller has been honoured for promoting national, social and environmental values, while 35 – Chinna Katha Kaadu has been named Best Children’s Film.

Other recognised titles include Pushpa: The Rule Part-02, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 and Stree 2, alongside films from a range of languages and cinematic forms. The edition also includes recognition for Marathi, Santhali, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, Tulu and Garhwali cinema, underlining the breadth of the awards.

The 72nd edition also marks a change in geography for the ceremony. Instead of remaining in the National Capital, the awards are being held at Ekta Nagar, formerly known as Kevadia, as the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting begins taking future editions to different states and cities.

The National Film Awards cover 26 Feature Film categories, 16 Non-Feature Film categories and two categories for Best Writing on Cinema, alongside the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. For the 72nd edition, the Phalke Award carries a Swarna Kamal, shawl and Rs 10 lakh cash prize.

With the winners already announced on 18 July 2026, the 22 September ceremony will bring the names from the list to the stage, putting the spotlight on the films, performers, directors and technicians that shaped Indian cinema in 2024. 

🎬 लाइट, कैमरा और तैयारियां… गुजरात के एकता नगर, केवड़िया में 72वें राष्ट्रीय फिल्म पुरस्कार समारोह की तैयारियां अब अंतिम चरण में हैं। पर्दे के पीछे की ये झलकियां बता रही हैं कि भारतीय सिनेमा के इस खास जश्न के लिए मंच पूरी तरह तैयार है। ✨ 22 सितंबर को एकता नगर से सजेगा सिनेमा का ये यादगार मंच। #72ndNationalFilmAwards #NFA #IndiaCelebratesCinema #FilmsThatUnite @nfdcindia @MIB_India @PIB_India

— PIB in Gujarat 🇮🇳 (@PIBAhmedabad) September 21, 2026