The 72nd National Film Awards winners were announced by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting at the National Media Centre in New Delhi. The awards celebrate outstanding achievements in Indian cinema across feature films, non-feature films and writing on cinema.
Movies certified by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) between January 1, 2024, and December 31, 2024, were eligible for this year’s awards. An 11-member jury, led by filmmaker Jayaraj, selected the winners.
Article 370 Wins Best Feature Film
One of the biggest highlights of the ceremony was Article 370, which won the Best Feature Film award.
The political drama also earned Yami Gautam the Best Actress award. Additionally, Shashwat Sachdev received the Best Music Direction (Songs) award for the film, making it one of the most celebrated movies of the year.
Meanwhile, Bhangaar (Obsolete) won the Best Non-Feature Film award, while Ram-Nami was honoured as the Best Documentary.
Kartik Aaryan and Mammootty Share Best Actor Award
The Best Actor award was shared by Kartik Aaryan and Mammootty, recognising their outstanding performances during the year.
Yami Gautam won Best Actress for her powerful performance in Article 370, adding another major achievement to the film’s successful run.
Rajkumar Periasamy Named Best Director
Director Rajkumar Periasamy won the Best Director award for Amaran.
The film also received the Best Background Score award. Additionally, R. Kalaivannan was honored with the Best Editing award for his work on the movie.
Kalki 2898 AD and Captain Miller Earn Major Honours
Kalki 2898 AD received the award for Best Feature Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment.
The film also won Best Production Design, highlighting its impressive visual presentation.
On the other hand, Captain Miller secured the award for Best Film Promoting National and Social Values.
Supporting Cast and Technical Winners
Veteran actor Sanjay Mishra won the Best Supporting Actor award.
The Best Supporting Actress honour was shared by Ropashree Varkady and Sachana Namidass.
Among the technical awards, Shehnad Jalaal won Best Cinematography for Bramayugam.
Filmmaker Sukumar received the Best Screenplay award for Pushpa 2, while Venky Atluri won Best Dialogue Writer for Lucky Baskhar.
Deepali Noor and Sheetal Sharma were recognised with the Best Costume Design award for Pushpa 2.
Music and Playback Singing Winners
The music categories also featured several notable winners.
Abhay Jodhpurkar won the Best Male Playback Singer award for the song Gharat Ganpati from Navasachi Gauri Mazi.
Meanwhile, Vaikom Vijayalakshmi received the Best Female Playback Singer award for Angu Vaana Konilu from ARM.
Stree 2 won Best Choreography, while Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 took home the Best Sound Design award.
Regional Cinema Receives Recognition
Several regional films were honoured in their respective language categories.
The winners include:
- Srikanth – Best Hindi Film
- Raayan – Best Tamil Film
- Committee Kurrollu – Best Telugu Film
- Feminichi Fathima – Best Malayalam Film
- Mithya – Best Kannada Film
- Mukkam Post Bombilwadi – Best Marathi Film
- Lahari – Best Odia Film
- Chalchitra Ekhon – Best Bengali Film
- Maaran – Best Gujarati Film
- Sunita – Best Manipuri Film
- Mog Asum – Best Konkani Film
Non-Feature Film Winners
The non-feature film category recognised excellence across documentaries, short films and books on cinema.
Sanjeev Shrivastava won the Best Film Critic award, while Kenchanuru Pradeep Kumar Shetty received the Best Book on Cinema award.
Angen (Invisible) was named Best Debut Film of a Director, and Hamsafar won Best Short Film.
Other notable winners included:
- Touched as Water – Best Animation Film
- Piplantri: A Tale of Eco Feminism – Best Non-Feature Film Promoting Social and Environmental Values
- Ram-Nami – Best Documentary
- Main Nida – Best Arts and Culture Film
- Kakori – Best Biographical/Historical Reconstruction Film
- Aanand L Rai – Best Direction (Statue of Unity: Ekta Ka Prateek)
The 72nd National Film Awards celebrated achievements across Indian cinema, recognising outstanding performances, filmmaking, technical excellence and regional storytelling. With Article 370 leading the winners and several acclaimed films earning honours, this year’s awards highlighted the diversity and creativity of the Indian film industry.