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The 72nd National Film Awards were announced today (Saturday, July 18), celebrating excellence in Indian cinema. Organised by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the awards honoured feature films, non-feature films and writing on cinema, recognising movies certified by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) between January 1 and December 31, 2024.

The winners were announced at the National Media Centre in New Delhi after being selected by an 11-member jury headed by filmmaker Jayaraj. From powerful performances to outstanding technical achievements, this year’s awards reflected the diversity and growing strength of Indian cinema across languages.

Major feature film winners of National Film Awards

Best Feature Film: Article 370
Best Actor: Mammootty (Bramayugam) and Kartik Aaryan (Chandu Champion)
Best Actress: Yami Gautam (Article 370)
Best Director: Rajkumar Periasamy (Amaran)
Best Supporting Actor: Sanjay Mishra (Bhakshak)
Best Supporting Actress: Ropashree Varkady (Mithya) and Sachana Namidass (Maharaja)
Best Feature Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment: Kalki 2898 AD
Best Film Promoting National and Social Values: Captain Miller
Best Child Artists: Riddhiman Banerjee, Tapomoy Deb, Gitashree Chakraborty, Arundev Pothula and Athish S Shetty
Best Cinematography: Shehnad Jalaal (Bramayugam)
Best Screenplay: Sukumar (Pushpa 2)
Best Dialogue Writer: Venky Atluri (Lucky Baskhar)
Best Production Design: Kalki 2898 AD
Best Action Direction: Anl Arasu (Maharaja)
Best Make-Up Artist: Committee Kurrollu
Best Costume Design: Deepali Noor and Sheetal Sharma (Pushpa 2)
Best Music Direction (Songs): Shashwat Sachdev (Article 370)
Best Music Direction (Background Score): Amaran
Best Lyrics: Manoj Muntashir (Maidaan)
Best Male Playback Singer: Abhay Jodhpurkar
Best Female Playback Singer: Vaikom Vijayalakshmi
Best Choreography: Vijay Ganguly (Stree 2)
Best Sound Design: Manas Choudhury (Bhool Bhulaiya 3)
Best Editing: R Kalaivannan (Amaran)

Regional cinema honoured

Regional cinema continued to shine at the National Film Awards:

Assamese: Juiphool
Bengali: Chalchitra Ekhon
Hindi: Srikanth
Kannada: Mithya
Malayalam: Feminichi Fathima
Marathi: Mukkam Post Bombilwadi
Odia: Lahari
Tamil: Raayan
Telugu: Committee Kurrollu
Gujarati: Maaran
Manipuri: Sunita
Konkani: Mog Asum
Tulu: IMBU
Garhwali: Dholi
Special Mentions were awarded to actor Dhanush for Captain Miller and Suren G for Meiyazhagan.

Non-feature film winners

The awards also recognised excellence in documentaries, short films and books on cinema.

Best Film Critic: Sanjeev Shrivastava
Best Book on Cinema: Naaniruvude Nimagaagi Naadiruvude Nanagaagi by Kenchanuru Pradeep Kumar Shetty
Special Mentions: Bhadra Kali Natakam and Chola Dora aur Sui
Best Narrator/Voice Over: Soundarya Jayachandran
Best Music Direction: Shivpal Singh Kang
Best Editing: Manvir Jasrotia
Best Sound Design: T S Hari Hara Sudhan
Best Cinematography: Edmond Ranson
Best Direction: Aanand L Rai for Statue of Unity – Ekta ka Prateek
Best Short Film: Hamsafar
Best Animation Film: Touched as Water
Best Non Feature Film Promoting Social and Environmental Values: Piplantri: A Tale of Eco Feminism
Best Documentary: Ram Nami
Best Arts and Culture Film: Main Nida
Best Biographical/Historical Reconstruction Film: Kakori
Best Debut Film of a Director: Angen (Invisible)
Best Non Feature Film: Bhangaar (Obsolete)

This year’s National Film Awards once again celebrated outstanding storytelling, memorable performances and technical excellence from across the country. Mammootty’s fourth National Award, Kartik Aaryan‘s maiden win and Yami Gautam’s Best Actress honour were among the biggest highlights, while films from several regional industries reaffirmed the rich diversity of Indian cinema.