South cinema shines with major wins for Mammootty, Dhanush, ‘Amaran’ and ‘Pushpa 2’
Sanjeev Kumar | July 18, 2026 10:22 PM CST
South Indian cinema emerged as one of the biggest winners at the 72nd National Film Awards, with acclaimed performances and films from Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada industries dominating several key categories.
Malayalam superstar Mammootty shared the Best Actor award with Kartik Aaryan, earning the honour for his critically acclaimed performance in Bramayugam, while Aaryan was recognised for Chandu Champion.
Actor Dhanush received a Special Mention for his powerful performance in Captain Miller. He also celebrated success as a filmmaker, with his directorial venture Raayan winning the Best Tamil Film award.
Blockbuster Pushpa 2: The Rule, starring Allu Arjun, secured two National Awards, winning Best Original Screenplay for writer-director Sukumar and Best Costume Design for Deepali Noor and Sheetal Sharma.
Director Nag Ashwin's sci-fi epic Kalki 2898 AD, featuring Prabhas, Kamal Haasan and Amitabh Bachchan, was honoured as the Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. Meanwhile, Captain Miller received the Best Feature Film Promoting National, Social and Environmental Values award.
Tamil blockbuster Amaran, starring Sivakarthikeyan, emerged as one of the top winners, taking home three awards. Rajkumar Periasamy won Best Director, R. Kalaivanan received Best Editing, and G.V. Prakash Kumar was honoured with Best Background Music.
Telugu cinema also enjoyed a successful outing, with Committee Kurrollu and 35-Chinna Katha Kaadu winning multiple awards across various categories.
Major Winners from South Indian Cinema
- Best Actor (Leading Role): Mammootty (Bramayugam) and Kartik Aaryan (Chandu Champion)
- Best Supporting Actress: Ropashree Varkady (Mithya) and Sachana Namidass (Maharaja)
- Best Director: Rajkumar Periasamy (Amaran)
- Special Mention (Actor): Dhanush (Captain Miller)
- Special Mention (Sound): Suren (Meiyazhagan)
- Best Telugu Film: Committee Kurrollu
- Best Tamil Film: Raayan
- Best Malayalam Film: Feminichi Fathima
- Best Kannada Film: Mithya
- Best Feature Film Promoting National, Social and Environmental Values: Captain Miller
- Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment: Kalki 2898 AD
- Best Action Direction: Anl Arasu (Maharaja)
- Best Music Director (Background Score): G.V. Prakash Kumar (Amaran)
- Best Make-up: P. Ravi Kumar (Committee Kurrollu)
- Best Costume Design: Deepali Noor and Sheetal Sharma (Pushpa 2: The Rule)
- Best Production Design: Nitin Zihani Choudhary (Kalki 2898 AD)
- Best Editing: R. Kalaivanan (Amaran)
- Best Dialogue Writer: Venky Atluri (Lucky Baskhar)
- Best Original Screenplay: Sukumar (Pushpa 2: The Rule)
- Best Cinematography: Shehnad Jalal (Bramayugam)
- Best Female Playback Singer: Vaikom Vijayalakshmi for Angu Vaana Konilu (ARM)
- Best Child Artist: Arundev Pothula (35-Chinna Katha Kaadu) and Athish S. Shetty (Mithya)
- Best Children's Film: 35-Chinna Katha Kaadu
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