72nd National Film Awards: Celebrating India's Diverse Cinematic Excellence

The 72nd National Film Awards will be held on September 22 in Gujarat, celebrating diverse Indian cinema. Instituted in 1954, these prestigious awards honor feature, non-feature films, and writing. Winners include films like 'Article 370', actors Mammootty, Kartik Aaryan, and Yami Gautam, and director Randeep Hooda.

The prestigious 72nd National Film Awards will be presented by President Droupadi Murmu on September 22 in Ekta Nagar, Gujarat. Aiming to take the awards beyond the capital, future ceremonies will be hosted across various Indian states, as announced by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. This year, the ceremony will reflect the spirit of 'Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat,' uniting cinematic talents from across the nation.

Established in 1954, the National Film Awards are the highest distinction in Indian cinema, acknowledging exceptional achievements in feature films, non-feature films, and cinema writing. The awards have celebrated the nation's cultural, linguistic, and regional diversity in filmmaking for over seven decades, showcasing a wide array of genres and languages.

This year's awards recognize 'Article 370' as the Best Feature Film, 'Bhangaar' as the Best Non-Feature Film, and 'Ram-Nami' as the Best Documentary. Best Actor awards go to Mammootty for 'Bramayugam' and Kartik Aaryan for 'Chandu Champion', while Yami Gautam wins Best Actress for 'Article 370'. Randeep Hooda earns Best Debut Director for 'Swatantrya Veer Savarkar'.

The awards acknowledge excellence in multiple languages including Marathi, Santhali, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, Tulu, and Garhwali. 'Kalki 2898 AD', 'Amaran', 'Pushpa: The Rule Part-02', and others will receive various honors. A Santhali film receives recognition in the Non-Feature Film category for the first time.

Sanjeev Shrivastava is awarded Best Film Critic, while 'Naaniruvude Nimagaagi Naadiruvude Nanagaagi' by Dr. Pradeep Kenchanuru wins Best Book on Cinema, published by Mirror Pusthaka.