Posted on September 24, 2026
National Film Awards 2026 ended at Ekta Nagar, Gujarat, where the best film artists of India were recognized for their contribution to films in 2024. President Droupadi Murmu handed out the awards at a ceremony in Ekta Nagar on September 22, 2026. Veteran Kannada actor Anant Nag was awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, and Mammootty, Kartik Aaryan and Yami Gautam were some of the top acting award winners.
The 72nd edition awarded individuals and films in the fields of feature films, acting, direction, technical awards, regional cinema and many more. The ceremony also served as the first time that National Film Awards took place in Ekta Nagar, thus marking the distinctiveness of the current edition.
Anant Nag Receives Dadasaheb Phalke Award
One of the most notable highlights of the National Film Awards 2026 was the awarding of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award to Anant Nag.
The accomplished Kannada actor won the award for his remarkable contribution to the field of Indian cinema over the course of his career of more than five decades. Nag has featured in over 300 films and has made a valuable contribution to Kannada cinema as well as several other Indian film industries.
The award was presented to Anant Nag by President Droupadi Murmu. The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is the highest individual honour that can be awarded in the field of Indian cinema.
Mammootty and Kartik Aaryan Share Best Actor Award
One of the most notable awards that emerged from the Best Actor category is the one won by Mammootty and Kartik Aaryan. They jointly won the award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.
The performance of Mammootty was recognized through the Best Actor category in the film Bramayugam. With the award, Mammootty equalled Amitabh Bachchan to become the second actor to win four National Film Awards for Best Actor.
On the other hand, Kartik Aaryan was awarded in the same category for his role as Murlikant Petkar in the film Chandu Champion. The award was the first National Film Award of Kartik Aaryan, making the award one of the notable moments of the event.
The performances of both actors were in different genres and styles of films.
Yami Gautam Wins Best Actress
Article 370 starred Yami Gautam, who won an award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Article 370 also received the Best Feature Film award, making it one of the best films that got awarded during the ceremony.
This is directed by Aditya Suhas Jambhale, got recognition for several categories. The Best Actress award to Yami Gautam made a list of the best achievements by the movie.
This got the Best Feature Film award while Yami Gautam got her award separately.
Rajkumar Periasamy Wins Best Director
The Best Direction award was won by Rajkumar Periasamy for the movie Amaran, which also got appreciation in various other fields like Editing and Background Music.
Randeep Hooda won the award for Best Debut Film Direction for Swatantrya Veer Savarkar. The award brought an important achievement in Hooda’s career in Indian movies.
Dhanush and Others
Dhanush, actor and filmmaker, was one more name that shone at the 72nd National Film Awards 2026. In particular, Dhanush won a Special Mention in Captain Miller, and Raayan got the Best Tamil Film title.
There were many popular movies, which also won awards in various categories. For instance, Kalki 2898 AD was named the Best Feature Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, and Captain Miller received the Best Film Promoting National, Social and Environmental Values title.
There were also such titles as Pushpa: The Rule Part-02, Stree 2, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, Maharaja, Lucky Baskhar and Committee Kurrollu, which also won some awards in various nominations.
Technical Awards
Besides the main films and actors, the 72nd National Film Awards also paid tribute to technical experts who worked behind Indian films.
Thus, Shehnad Jalal won the Best Cinematography title for Bramayugam, while Nitin Zihani Choudhary became the Best Production Design winner of Kalki 2898 AD. Sukumar won the Best Original Screenplay title for Pushpa 2, and Venky Atluri received the Best Dialogue Writer nomination for Lucky Baskhar.
Another actor-filmmaker who made headlines at the National Film Awards 2026 is Dhanush, whose film Raayan bagged the award for Best Tamil Film, whereas he got a special mention for his performance in Captain Miller.
Several films that had become extremely popular also won in several technical and creative categories. While Kalki 2898 AD was awarded the Best Feature Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, Captain Miller won an award for its national, social, and environmental value.
Apart from these films, there were many other films that received awards in various categories like Pushpa: The Rule Part-02, Stree 2, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, Maharaja, Lucky Baskhar & Committee Kurrollu.
Indian Cinema’s Technical Awards Reveal Diversity
Shehnad Jalal won Best Cinematography for Bramayugam, while Nitin Zihani Choudhary got the Best Production Design award for Kalki 2898 AD. Sukumar bagged Best Original Screenplay award for Pushpa 2, while Venky Atluri won Best Dialogue Writer award for Lucky Baskhar.
Some other award categories include action direction, makeup, costume design, sound design, editing, music, background music, lyrics, and choreography.
Regional Cinemas Getting National Acknowledgement
An important aspect of the National Film Awards 2026 was the acknowledgment of films in various Indian languages.
Among the awardees are Lahari (Best Odia Film), Mithya (Best Kannada Film), Feminichi Fathima (Best Malayalam Film), Raayan (Best Tamil Film), Committee Kurrollu (Best Telugu Film) and Srikanth (Best Hindi Film). Films made in the languages of Assamese, Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, Manipuri, Konkani, Tulu and Garhwali cinemas have also been recognized.
This diverse list showcases the multi-lingual aspect of Indian cinema and the variety of movies being taken into consideration by the National Film Awards.
National Film Awards 2026 Ceremony in Gujarat
The awards ceremony was held at Ekta Nagar in Gujarat on September 22nd, with President Droupadi Murmu presiding over the ceremony. The venue around the Statue of Unity is an unusual choice considering the fact that traditionally, the awards have been associated with New Delhi.
The President emphasized on the fact that filmmaking is a collaborative process and acknowledged the contributions made by those who work in the background like assistants and others associated with filmmaking.
Final Thoughts
National Film Awards 2026 saw an amalgamation of veteran artistes, known directors, as well as new talent, besides honouring films made in the language cinemas of India. Some of the highlights include Anant Nag’s Dadasaheb Phalke Award, Best Actor awards to Mammootty and Kartik Aaryan, Yami Gautam’s Best Actress award, and Best Feature Film award for Article 370.
The 72nd National Film Awards also showed that apart from performances of actors, national accolades also come through direction, screenwriting, cinematography, music, editing, and regional filmmaking. The 2024 film season getting honoured at the national level in 2026 also makes it another important page in the annals of Indian cinema.
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