The Indian Film Industry had a big night on *September 22,2026, as the 72nd National Film Awards* were presented in Gujarat. The ceremony was held at *Ekta Nagar, Kevadia, near the famous Statue of Unity*. Our President *Draupadi Murmu* presented the awards to actors, directors and other people who made a mark in Indian cinema.

Why Are These Awards Called the 72nd National Film Awards?

The National Film Awards are among the biggest film honours in India. They recognize good work in acting, direction, music, writing, filmmaking and many other areas. The 72nd edition was for films from the 2024 award year. The winners were announced earlier in July 2026, while the awards were officially presented at the ceremony on September 22. So, even though the ceremony takes place in 2026, most of the winning films were from 2026.

Anant Nag receives the Dadasaheb Phalke Award

One of the biggest moments of the evening was the honour given to Anant Nag. The legendary Kannada actor received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2024. It is one of the highest honours given for a person's contribution to Indian cinema. Anant Nag has worked in the film industry for more than five decades. He is known for his work in Kannada cinema. The award was a special way of recognizing his long career and contribution to Indian cinema.

Article 370 Wins Best Feature Film

The Hindi film Article 370 won the award for Best Feature Film. Directed by Aditya Suhas Jambhale, the film had an even bigger night because its lead lead actress Yami Gautam also won the Best Actress award. This made Article 370 one of the main talking points. Yami Gautam Wins Best Actress in a leading role for her performance in Article 370. Her role in the film required her to play an intelligence officer involved in a sensitive operation. For Yami this was a major achievement in her career.

Mammooty and Kartik Aryan as Best Actor

Mammooty won for his performance in the Malayalam, while Kartik Aryan won for Chandu Champion. Both movies had a totally different perspective Bramayugam was a dark Malayalam film, while Chandu Champion told the story of a sportsman and his journey. For Kartik, the award was a major milestone and his first National Film Award. For Mammootty it added another important honour to his long career.

Amaran Wins Best Director

The Best Director award went to Rajkumar Periasamy for the Tamil film Amaran.The film stars **Sivakarthikeyan and Sai Pallavi** and is based on the life of Major Mukund Varadarajan. The film follows his life, his work in the Indian Army and his relationship with his family.

Randeep Hooda Wins for his first film ad director

Actor Randeep Honda also had a special moment at the awards. He won the award for Best Debut film of a director for Swatantrya Veer Savakar. Hooda is already known for his acting career, but with the film he also worked as a director.

Kalki 2898 AD Also Wins

The popular Telugu science-fiction film also took home an award. The Award wins best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment directed by Nag Ashwin, the film mixed mythology and science fiction.

More Stars and Films Get Recognition

Legendary actor Sanjay Mishra won best supporting Actor for Bhakshak. In the best supporting Actress category Sachana Namidass won for Maharaja while Ropashree Varkady won for Mithya and many more.

A New Home for the National Film Awards

Another interesting part of this year's ceremony was the location. Instead of New Delhi, the awards were held at Ekta Nagar in Gujarat, close to the Statue of Unity. The change was meant to take the ceremony to different parts of India and highlights the country's cultural diversity. There was also an interesting connection to the venue. Filmmaker Aanand L Rai won an award for Statue of Unity- Ekta ka Prateek, a film about the famous landmark.

Final Take

The 72nd National Film Awards brought together some of the biggest names in Indian Cinema. The ceremony was not only about big stars Films from different languages and regions were also recognised. That is what made this year's National Film Awards special. Different stories, Different languages and Different filmmakers all came together on one stage to celebrate Indian cinema.