The 72nd National Film Awards have recognised some of the finest films, performers, filmmakers and technicians from across Indian cinema. The awards, announced on 18 July 2026, honour achievements in films certified during the year 2024.
From Article 370 winning Best Feature Film to Mammootty and Kartik Aaryan sharing the Best Actor award, Yami Gautam winning Best Actress and Kalki 2898 AD, Amaran, Pushpa: The Rule Part-02, Stree 2 and several other films receiving national recognition, the 72nd National Film Awards cover a wide range of Indian languages and filmmaking categories.
For Odisha, one of the major highlights is Lahari, which received the Best Odia Film award. The film was produced by Jhilik Motion Pictures and directed by Amartya Bhattacharyya. Here is the complete list of awardees announced for the 72nd National Film Awards.
72nd National Film Awards 2024: Feature Film Awards
Best Feature Film
Film: Article 370
Awardees: Producer – Jio Studios & B62 Studios; Director – Aditya Suhas Jambhale
Award: Swarna Kamal and ₹3,00,000 each
Best Debut Film of a Director
Film: Swatantrya Veer Savarkar
Awardee: Randeep Hooda
Award: Swarna Kamal and ₹3,00,000
Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment
Film: Kalki 2898 AD
Awardees: Producer – Vyjayanthi Movies; Director – Nag Ashwin Singireddy
Award: Swarna Kamal and ₹3,00,000 each
Best Feature Film Promoting National, Social and Environmental Values
Film: Captain Miller
Awardees: Producer – Sathya Jyothi Films; Director – Arun Matheswaran
Award: Rajat Kamal and ₹2,00,000 each
Best Children’s Film
Film: 35 – Chinna Katha Kaadu
Awardees: Producers – S Originals & Waltair Productions Pvt. Ltd.; Director – Nanda Kishore Emani
Award: Swarna Kamal and ₹3,00,000 each
Best Direction
Film: Amaran
Awardee: Rajkumar Periasamy
Award: Swarna Kamal and ₹3,00,000
Best Actor in a Leading Role
This award was shared by two actors:
- Mammootty – Bramayugam
- Kartik Aaryan – Chandu Champion
Award: Rajat Kamal and ₹2,00,000 each
Best Actress in a Leading Role
Film: Article 370
Awardee: Yami Gautam
Award: Rajat Kamal and ₹2,00,000
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Film: Bhakshak
Awardee: Sanjay Mishra
Award: Rajat Kamal and ₹2,00,000
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
The award was shared by:
- Sachana Namidass – Maharaja
- Ropashree Varkady – Mithya
Award: Rajat Kamal and ₹2,00,000 each
Best Child Artist
The award was shared among:
- Athish S Shetty – Mithya
- Arundev Pothula – 35 – Chinna Katha Kaadu
- Riddhiman Banerjee – Onko Ki Kothin
- Tapomoy Deb – Onko Ki Kothin
- Gitashree Chakraborty – Onko Ki Kothin
Award: Rajat Kamal and ₹2,00,000 each
Best Male Playback Singer
Film: Gharat Ganpati
Awardee: Abhay Jodhpurkar
Song: Navasachi Gauri Mazi
Award: Rajat Kamal and ₹2,00,000
Best Female Playback Singer
Film: A. R. M
Awardee: Vaikom Vijayalakshmi
Song: Angu Vaana Konilu
Award: Rajat Kamal and ₹2,00,000
Best Cinematography
Film: Bramayugam
Awardee: Shehnad Jalal
Award: Rajat Kamal and ₹2,00,000
Best Screenplay
The award recognised three screenplay-related achievements:
- Original Screenplay: Bandreddi Sukumar – Pushpa: The Rule Part-02
- Adapted Screenplay: Yogesh Deshpande – Swargandharva Sudhir Phadke
- Dialogue: Venky Atluri – Lucky Baskhar
Award: Rajat Kamal and ₹2,00,000
Best Sound Design
Film: Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3
Awardee: Manas Choudhury
Award: Rajat Kamal and ₹2,00,000
Best Editing
Film: Amaran
Awardee: R. Kalaivannan
Award: Rajat Kamal and ₹2,00,000
Best Production Design
Film: Kalki 2898 AD
Awardee: Nitin Zihani Choudhary
Award: Rajat Kamal and ₹2,00,000
Best Costume Design
Film: Pushpa: The Rule Part-02
Awardees: Deepali Noor & Sheetal Sharma
Award: Rajat Kamal and ₹2,00,000 each
Best Make-up
Film: Committee Kurrollu
Awardee: P Ravi Kumar
Award: Rajat Kamal and ₹2,00,000
Best Music Direction
Two awards were given in this category:
- Music Director – Songs: Shashwat Sachdev – Article 370
- Music Director – Background Music: G. V. Prakash Kumar – Amaran
Award: Rajat Kamal and ₹2,00,000 each
Best Lyrics
Film: Maidaan
Awardee: Manoj Muntashir
Song: Jaane Do
Award: Rajat Kamal and ₹2,00,000
Best Choreography
Film: Stree 2
Awardee: Vijay Ganguly
Song: Aaj Ki Raat
Award: Rajat Kamal and ₹2,00,000
Best Action Direction
Film: Maharaja
Awardee: Anl Arasu
Award: Rajat Kamal and ₹2,00,000
Best Film Awards in Scheduled Languages
The National Film Awards also recognised the best feature film in each language specified in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.
Best Assamese Film
Film: Juiphool
Awardees: Producer & Director – Jadumoni Dutta
Best Bengali Film
Film: Chalchitra Ekhon
Awardees: Producer – Anjan Dutt Production; Director – Anjan Dutt
Best Gujarati Film
Film: Maaran
Awardees: Producer – Cineman Productions Limited; Director – Abhishek Jain
Best Hindi Film
Film: Srikanth
Awardees: Producers – Super Cassettes Industries Pvt. Ltd. and Chalk N Cheese Films Production LLP; Director – Tushar Hiranandani
Best Kannada Film
Film: Mithya
Awardees: Producers – Paramvah Pictures & KRG Studios; Director – Sumanth Bhat
Best Konkani Film
Film: Mog Asum
Awardees: Producers – Flowing Mandovi Films LLP, R S Creations, Kathputlee Arts and Films Pvt. Ltd.; Directors – Radheshyam Pipalwa & Agnelo Angelo Braganza
Best Malayalam Film
Film: Feminichi Fathima
Awardees: Producers – 1001 Stories & AFD Cinemas; Director – Fasil Muhammed
Best Manipuri Film
Film: Sunita
Awardees: Producers – Skyline Pictures, Khuman Leipak Pictures, H. M. Production & Cultural Society Khuman Maheikol Production; Director – Yumnam Ajit Singh
Best Marathi Film
Film: Mukkam Post Bombilwadi
Awardees: Producers – Vivek Films & Mayasabha Karamanuk Mandali LLP; Director – Paresh Mokashi
Best Odia Film
Film: Lahari
Awardees: Producer – Jhilik Motion Pictures; Director – Amartya Bhattacharyya
The Best Odia Film recognition makes the 72nd National Film Awards particularly significant for Odisha’s film industry.
Best Tamil Film
Film: Raayan
Awardees: Producer – Sun TV Network Limited; Director – Dhanush
Best Telugu Film
Film: Committee Kurrollu
Awardees: Producers – Pink Elephant Pictures & Shree Radha Damodara Studios; Director – Yadhu Vamsee
Best Feature Film in Languages Outside the Eighth Schedule
The awards also recognised films in languages other than those specified in the Eighth Schedule.
Best Garhwali Film
Film: Dholi
Awardees: Producer – SC Pharmachem Pvt. Ltd.; Director – Dinesh P. Bhonsle
Best Tulu Film
Film: IMBU
Awardees: Producer – Pichchar Studio; Director – Shivadhwaj Shetty
Special Mentions – Feature Films
Two special mentions were announced:
- Captain Miller – Actor Dhanush
- Meiyazhagan – Film Sound Mix Engineer Suren G.
Both received certificates.
72nd National Film Awards 2024: Non-Feature Film Awards
The Non-Feature Film section recognised documentaries, short films, animation and other forms of filmmaking.
Best Non-Feature Film
Film: Bhangaar
Awardees: Producer & Director – Sumira Roy
Award: Swarna Kamal and ₹3,00,000 each
Best Debut Film of a Director
Film: Angen
Language: Santhali
Awardee: Ravi Raj Murmu
Award: Swarna Kamal and ₹3,00,000
Best Biographical / Historical Reconstruction / Compilation Film
Film: Kakori
Awardees: Producers – KSR Brothers & Minti Mishra; Director – Kamlesh K Mishra
Award: Rajat Kamal and ₹2,00,000 each
Best Arts / Culture Film
Film: Main Nida
Awardees: Producer – Sampreshan Multimedia Pvt. Ltd.; Director – Atul Pandey
Award: Rajat Kamal and ₹2,00,000 each
Best Documentary
Film: Ram-Nami
Awardees: Producer – BBP Studio Virtual Bharat Pvt. Ltd.; Director – Bharatbala Ganapathy
Award: Rajat Kamal and ₹2,00,000 each
Best Non-Feature Film Promoting Social and Environmental Values
Film: Piplantri: A Tale of Eco Feminism
Awardees: Producer – Johnsons Suraj Films International; Director – Suraj Kumar
Award: Rajat Kamal and ₹2,00,000 each
Best Animation Film
Film: Touched as Water
Awardees: Producer – JB Productions; Director & Animator – Joshy Benedict
Award: Rajat Kamal and ₹2,00,000 each
Best Short Film – Up to 30 Minutes
Film: Hamsafar
Awardees: Producer – Anushka Motion Pictures and Entertainments; Director – Abhijeet Arvind Dalvi
Award: Rajat Kamal and ₹2,00,000 each
Best Direction – Non-Feature Film
Film: Statue of Unity – Ekta Ka Prateek
Awardee: Aanand L Rai
Award: Swarna Kamal and ₹3,00,000
Best Cinematography – Non-Feature Film
Film: Life in Loom
Awardee: Edmond Ranson
Award: Rajat Kamal and ₹2,00,000
Best Sound Design – Non-Feature Film
Film: Blue
Awardee: T S Hari Hara Sudhan
Award: Rajat Kamal and ₹2,00,000
Best Editing – Non-Feature Film
Film: NDA
Awardee: Manvir Jasrotia
Award: Rajat Kamal and ₹2,00,000
Best Music Direction – Non-Feature Film
Film: Parat 41°chya Magavar (On the Trail of 41°)
Awardee: Shivpal Singh Kang
Award: Rajat Kamal and ₹2,00,000
Best Narration / Voice Over
Film: Little Planet: A Tale of Frogs
Awardee: Soundarya Jayachandran
Award: Rajat Kamal and ₹2,00,000
Best Script – Non-Feature Film
Film: Obur
Awardee: Faraz Ali
Award: Rajat Kamal and ₹2,00,000
Special Mentions – Non-Feature Films
Two films received Special Mention certificates:
- Bhadra-Kali Natakam – Director Ananda Jyothi (Jose Antony)
- Chola Dora aur Sui – Directors Jaymin Modi & Lokesh Ghai
Best Writing on Cinema
The 72nd National Film Awards also recognised contributions to writing and criticism related to cinema.
Best Book on Cinema
Book: Naaniruvude Nimagaagi Naadiruvude Nanagaagi: Kannada Cinemada Thathva matthu Rajakeeya
Language: Kannada
Author: Kenchanuru Pradeep Kumar Shetty
Publisher: Mirror Pusthaka
Award: Swarna Kamal and ₹1,00,000
Best Film Critic
Awardee: Sanjeev Shrivastava
Language: Hindi
Award: Swarna Kamal and ₹1,00,000
Odisha’s Highlight at the 72nd National Film Awards
For Odisha, the biggest feature-film recognition came with Lahari being named the Best Odia Film.
The film was produced by Jhilik Motion Pictures and directed by Amartya Bhattacharyya. It received the Rajat Kamal and ₹2,00,000 award associated with the Best Feature Film in the Odia language category.
The recognition puts an Odia-language production among the nationally recognised films of the 72nd National Film Awards and gives another important moment of visibility to Odisha’s filmmaking community.
Why the 72nd National Film Awards Are Important
The National Film Awards cover a broad spectrum of Indian filmmaking, from mainstream feature films and acting performances to documentaries, short films, animation, technical crafts and writing about cinema.
The 72nd edition once again highlighted the linguistic and cultural diversity of Indian cinema. Films from languages including Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, Gujarati, Konkani, Manipuri and Odia were recognised, while Garhwali and Tulu cinema also received awards.
The awards therefore provide a national platform for filmmakers working across different languages, regions and filmmaking formats.
72nd National Film Awards: Quick Highlights
- Best Feature Film: Article 370
- Best Debut Film of a Director: Swatantrya Veer Savarkar
- Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment: Kalki 2898 AD
- Best Direction: Amaran – Rajkumar Periasamy
- Best Actor: Mammootty and Kartik Aaryan
- Best Actress: Yami Gautam
- Best Non-Feature Film: Bhangaar
- Best Documentary: Ram-Nami
- Best Odia Film: Lahari
- Best Film Critic: Sanjeev Shrivastava
The 72nd National Film Awards celebrate achievements across India’s diverse film industries and recognise the work of performers, directors, producers, writers, musicians, technicians and other creative professionals.
Source: Official Press Information Bureau release, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India.
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