The 72nd National Film Awards, presented by the National Film Award Cell, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting were announced on 18 July 2026 in a press conference to honour the best of Indian cinema in 2024.[1][2] There were 400 entries in the feature film category, 161 in non-feature films, 38 books, and 24 critics’ submissions.[3] The political action-thriller Article 370 was awarded Best Feature Film and the dystopian science fiction Kalki 2898 AD was awarded Best Popular Feature Film.[4][5]
| 72nd National Film Awards | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | Best of Indian cinema in 2024 |
| Awarded by | National Film Award Cell |
| Presented by | President of India |
| Announced on | 18 July 2026 |
| Presented on | 22 September 2026 |
| Site | Kevadiya, Gujarat |
| Official website | nfaindia |
| Highlights | |
| Best Feature Film | Article 370 |
| Best Non-Feature Film | Bhangaar |
| Best Book | Naaniruvude Nimagaagi Naadiruvude Nanagaagi: Kannada Cinemada Thathva Matthu Rajakeeya |
| Best Film Critic | Sanjeev Shrivastava |
| Dadasaheb Phalke Award | Anant Nag |
| Most awards | Amaran, Article 370 and Mithya (3) |
The winners along with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award recipient were felicitated by the President, Droupadi Murmu on 22 September 2026 at Kevadia, Gujarat.[6][7]
Selection process
editThe National Film Award Cell, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting invited online entries for the awards. Feature and Non-Feature Films certified by the Central Board of Film Certification between 1 January 2024, and 31 December 2024, were eligible for the film award categories.[8] Entries of dubbed, revised or copied versions of a film or translation, abridgements, edited or annotated works and reprints were ineligible for the awards.
For the feature and non-feature Films sections, films in any Indian language, shot on 16 mm, 35 mm, a wider film gauge or a digital format, and released in cinemas, on video or digital formats for home viewing were eligible.
Dadasaheb Phalke Award
editIntroduced in 1969, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India's highest award in the field of cinema given to recognise the contributions of film personalities towards the development of Indian cinema and for distinguished contributions to the medium, its growth and promotion. The recipient is awarded with 'Golden Lotus Award' (Swarna Kamal), cash prize of ₹10 lakh (US$10,000), medallion and a shawl.[3][9]
A committee consisting three personalities from the Indian film industry was appointed to evaluate the award. Following were the jury members:
- DSPA Committee
| • Mithun Chakraborty |
| • Paresh Rawal |
| • Ashutosh Gowariker |
| Award | Image | Awardee(s) | Awarded As | Cash prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dadasaheb Phalke Award |  |
Anant Nag | Actor | Swarna Kamal, ₹10 lakh (US$10,000), medallion and a shawl |
Feature films
editJury
editFor the Feature Film section, six committees were formed based on the different geographic regions in India. The two-tier evaluation process included a central committee and five regional committees. The central committee, headed by the director Jayaraj, included the heads of each regional committee and five other jury members. At regional level, each committee consisted of one chief and three or four members. The chief and one non-chief member of each regional committee were selected from outside that geographic region. The table below names the jury members for the central and regional committees:
Central Jury
| • Jayaraj (Chairperson) | |
| • V. N. Aditya | • Archana Udupa |
| • Aseem Bajaj | • Kala Master |
| • Meera Chopra | • Napoleon RZ Thanga |
| • Om Raut | • Priya Krishnaswamy |
| • Rakesh Ranjan | • Sreelekha Mukherji |
Northern Region: (Bhojpuri, Dogri, English, Hindi, Punjabi, Rajasthani, Urdu)
| • Akshay Parija (Head) | |
| • Arfi Lamba | • Ajay Kumar |
| • Panchakshari | |
Eastern Region: (Assamese, Bengali, Odia and North-Eastern languages)
| • B S Basavaraj (Head) | |
| • Sanjeev Rattan | • Surya Deo |
| • Thokchom Jimmy | • Tushar Kanti Bandyopadhyay |
Western Region: (Gujarati, Konkani, Marathi)
| • Supratim Bhol (Head) | |
| • Kshitija Khandagale | • Pritesh Sodha |
| • Shashi Khandare | |
Southern Region I: (Malayalam, Tamil)
| • Manju Borah (Head) | |
| • Adeep Tandon | • Manoj Pillai |
| • S Muthu Ganesh | • Santhosh Damodharan |
Southern Region II: (Kannada, Telugu)
| • Gopi Desai (Head) | |
| • M S Prasad | • Prashanthi Harathi |
| • Sandesh Shetty Ajri | |
Golden Lotus Award
editOfficial Name: Swarna Kamal
All the awardees are awarded with 'Golden Lotus Award (Swarna Kamal)', a certificate and cash prize.
| Award | Film | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best Feature Film | Article 370 | Hindi |
|
₹3,00,000 each |
| Best Debut Film of a Director | Swatantrya Veer Savarkar | Hindi | Randeep Hooda | ₹3,00,000 |
| Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment | Kalki 2898 AD | Telugu |
|
₹3,00,000 each |
| Best Children's Film | 35 Chinna Katha Kaadu | Telugu |
|
₹3,00,000 each |
| Best Direction | Amaran | Tamil | Rajkumar Periasamy | ₹3,00,000 |
Silver Lotus Award
editOfficial Name: Rajat Kamal
All the awardees are awarded with 'Silver Lotus Award (Rajat Kamal)', a certificate and cash prize.
Regional awards
editAll the awardees are awarded with Silver Lotus Award (Rajat Kamal), a certificate and cash prize.
| Award | Film | Awardee(s) | Cash prize | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Producer | Director | |||
| Best Assamese Feature Film | Juiphool | Jadumoni Dutta | ₹2,00,000 each | |
| Best Bengali Feature Film | Chaalchitra Ekhon | Anjan Dutt Production | Anjan Dutt | ₹2,00,000 each |
| Best Gujarati Feature Film | Maaran | CineMan Productions Limited | Abhishek Jain | ₹2,00,000 each |
| Best Hindi Feature Film | Srikanth | T-Series and Chalk N Cheese Films Production | Tushar Hiranandani | ₹2,00,000 each |
| Best Kannada Feature Film | Mithya | Paramvah Studios and KRG Studios | Sumanth Bhat | ₹2,00,000 each |
| Best Konkani Feature Film | Mog Asum | Flowing Mandovi Films, R S Creations and Kathputlee Arts and Films | Radheshyam Pipalwa and Agnelo Angelo Braganza | ₹2,00,000 each |
| Best Malayalam Feature Film | Feminichi Fathima | 1001 Stories and AFD Cinemas | Fasil Muhammed | ₹2,00,000 each |
| Best Manipuri Feature Film | Sunita | Skyline Pictures, Khuman Leipak Pictures, H. M. Production and Cultural Society Khuman Maheikol Production | Yumnam Ajit Singh | ₹2,00,000 each |
| Best Marathi Feature Film | Mu. Po. Bombilwaadi | Vivek Films and Mayasabha Karamanuk Mandali | Paresh Mokashi | ₹2,00,000 each |
| Best Odia Feature Film | Lahari | Jhilik Motion Pictures | Amartya Bhattacharyya | ₹2,00,000 each |
| Best Tamil Feature Film | Raayan | Sun Pictures | Dhanush | ₹2,00,000 each |
| Best Telugu Feature Film | Committee Kurrollu | Pink Elephant Pictures and Shree Radha Damodara Studios | Yadhu Vamsi | ₹2,00,000 each |
| Award | Film | Awardee(s) | Cash prize | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Producer | Director | |||
| Best Garhwali Feature Film | Dholi | SC Pharmachem Pvt. Ltd. | Dinesh P. Bhonsle | ₹2,00,000 each |
| Best Tulu Feature Film | Imbu | Pichchar Studio | Shivadhwaj Shetty | ₹2,00,000 each |
Special Mention
editAll the awardees are awarded with a certificate.
| Award | Film | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Special Mention | Captain Miller | Tamil | Dhanush (Actor) | Certificate only |
| Meiyazhagan | Suren G (Sound Mix Engineer) |
Non-Feature Film
editNon-feature length films made in any Indian language and certified by the Central Board of Film Certification as a documentary, short film, animation film etc are eligible for non-feature film section.
Jury
edit| • Aseem Sinha (Chairperson) | |
| • E. V. Ganeshbabu | • James Khangenbam |
| • Harri Nair | • Kamlesh Udasi |
| • Kedaar Gaekwad | • Thripthi Sundar Abhikar |
Golden Lotus Award
editOfficial Name: Swarna Kamal
All the awardees are awarded with 'Golden Lotus Award (Swarna Kamal)', a certificate and cash prize.
| Award | Film | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best Non-Feature Film | Bhangaar | Marathi and English |
|
₹3,00,000 each |
| Best Direction | Statue of Unity – Ekta ka Prateek | Hindi | Aanand L. Rai | ₹3,00,000 |
| Best Debut Film of a Director | Angen | Santhali | Ravi Raj Murmu | ₹3,00,000 |
Silver Lotus Award
editOfficial Name: Rajat Kamal
All the awardees are awarded with Silver Lotus Award (Rajat Kamal) and cash prize.
| Award | Film | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best Biographical / Historical Reconstruction / Compilation Film | Kakori | Hindi |
|
₹2,00,000 each |
| Best Arts / Cultural Film | Main Nida | Hindi |
|
₹2,00,000 each |
| Best Documentary | Ram-Nami | Hindi |
|
₹2,00,000 each |
| Best Non-Feature Film Promoting Social And Environmental Values | Piplantri: A Tale of Eco Feminism | Hindi, Rajasthani and English |
|
₹2,00,000 each |
| Best Animation Film | Touched as Water | Silent |
|
₹2,00,000 each |
| Best Short Film | Hamsafar | Marathi |
|
₹2,00,000 each |
| Best Cinematography | Life in Loom | English, Tamil, Hindi, Assamese and Bengali | Edmond Ranson | ₹2,00,000 |
| Best Sound Design | Blue | Tamil | T S Hari Hara Sudhan | ₹2,00,000 |
| Best Editing | NDA | Hindi | Manvir Jasrotia | ₹2,00,000 |
| Best Music Direction | Parat 41°chya Magavar | Marathi | Shivpal Singh Kang | ₹2,00,000 |
| Best Narration / Voice Over | Little Planet: A Tale of Frogs | English | Soundarya Jayachandran | ₹2,00,000 |
| Best Script | Obur | Hindi and Kashmiri | Faraz Ali | ₹2,00,000 |
Special Mention
editAll the awardees are awarded with a certificate.
| Award | Film | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Special Mention | Bhadra-Kali Natakam | Malayalam | Ananda Jyothi (Director) | Certificate only |
| Chola Dora aur Sui | Hindi | Jaymin Modi and Lokesh Ghai (Directors) |
Best Writing on Cinema
editThe awards aim at encouraging study and appreciation of cinema as an art form and dissemination of information and critical appreciation of this art-form through publication of books, articles, reviews etc.
Jury
edit| • A. Chandrasekhar (Chairperson) | |
| • Rwita Dutta | • Sujata Shiven |
Golden Lotus Award
editOfficial Name: Swarna Kamal
All the awardees are awarded with the Golden Lotus Award (Swarna Kamal) accompanied with a cash prize.
| Award | Book | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best Book on Cinema | Naaniruvude Nimagaagi Naadiruvude Nanagaagi: Kannada Cinemada Thathva Matthu Rajakeeya | Kannada |
|
₹1,00,000 each |
| Best Film Critic | N/a | Hindi | Sanjeev Shrivastava | ₹1,00,000 |
References
edit- ↑ "72nd National Film Awards 2026 Winners announced: Check the full list of winners". The Indian Express.
- ↑ "72nd National Film Awards Winners Live Update 2026: Check out complete winners here". The Times of India.
- 1 2 Delhi, PIB (16 September 2026). "Actor Anant Nag to be honoured with Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2024". Press Information Bureau. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
- ↑ "Article 370 wins Best Feature Film at 72nd National Film Awards". Greater Kashmir.
- ↑ "72nd National Film Awards: Telugu films bag seven awards". The Hindu.
- ↑ "72nd National Film Awards: Dadasaheb Phalke honour for Anant Nag; Mammootty, Kartik Aaryan, Yami Gautam receive Best Actor awards". The Hindu. 22 September 2026. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
- ↑ "72nd National Film Awards: Anant Nag gets Phalke honour; Yami Gautam, Mammootty, Kartik Aaryan best actors". The New Indian Express. 22 September 2026. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
- ↑ "72nd National Film Awards for the year 2024 announced". Press Information Bureau.
- ↑ Ramachandran, Naman (16 September 2026). "Anant Nag to Receive Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India's Highest Film Honor". Variety. Retrieved 22 September 2026.