Mumbai: The 72nd National Film Awards celebrated some of the biggest names in Indian cinema at Ekta Nagar, Gujarat, on Tuesday, with President Droupadi Murmu presenting the honours.
Among the prominent winners were Kartik Aaryan, Mammootty, Yami Gautam Dhar, Dhanush, Randeep Hooda and Anant Nag, who were recognised for their work in films released in 2024.
Kartik Aaryan and Malayalam veteran Mammootty jointly won the Best Actor honour, while Yami Gautam Dhar was recognised as Best Actress for Article 370.
Veteran actor Anant Nag was also honoured with the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award.
Randeep Hooda was named Best Debut Director for Swatantrya Veer Savarkar, while Sanjay Mishra won Best Supporting Actor for Bhakshak.
Captain Miller was recognised for promoting national, social and environmental values, with Dhanush also receiving a Special Mention for his performance.
The honours also celebrated talent across languages and creative fields. Marathi singer Abhay Jodhpurkar described his win as “a blessing”, while Pushpa 2 costume designer Sheetal Sharma recalled creating Allu Arjun’s Goddess-inspired look.
Ravi Raj Murmu, meanwhile, highlighted Angen as the “first ever Santali film to win the National Award”.
The Gujarat edition also marked a shift in the ceremony’s format, with the I&B Ministry announcing that future National Film Awards ceremonies will be hosted across different states.
Kartik Aaryan, who won Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance in the 2024 biographical sports drama Chandu Champion, spoke to the media at the Statue of Unity and said, “I have received my first National Award for Chandu Champion. I am truly, incredibly happy. My entire family is overjoyed, and our whole team is thrilled. Reflecting on the journey we began with Chandu Champion and the way this film inspires so many people, especially regarding the Paralympians, I can only express my gratitude to the jury and the entire audience across India for choosing us.”
Director Tushar Hiranandani, who won the Best Hindi Feature Film award for his biographical drama Srikanth, said, “You can never make a film thinking it will make money at the box office or win awards. You make a film because you want to tell a story, and I wanted to tell Srikanth’s story in the best way possible, and I did that. I don’t know about others, but winning the National Award definitely gives you the confidence to make the film you want to make.”
Choreographer Vijay Ganguly, who won the Best Choreography award for “Aaj Ki Raat” from the horror-comedy Stree 2, said, “We realised the song was so loved when I saw children dancing to it. I knew we did something right. The song was originally a ghazal with lots of adaah and nazakat. We got male dancers to join Tamannaah because dancers are not defined by gender. They turned out to be phenomenal.”
Abhay Jodhpurkar, who won the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer for the song “Navasachi Gauri Mazi” from the Marathi film Gharat Ganpati, said, “The Marathi industry and songs are killing it. I’m happy to represent my mother tongue, and it’s rare for a Marathi song to win Best Singer. We are celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi and it’s Mahalaxmi time, so the award has come at the perfect time as a blessing. I cried when I heard the news.”
Sheetal Iqbalchand Sharma, who won Best Costume Designer along with Deepali Noor for Pushpa 2: The Rule, said, “We worked on the film for three years. The film required massive detail, for which I stayed in the village where the film was set. The highlight was Allu Arjun’s Goddess look. It was a challenge to show a masculine character in a sari. It required research on the festival around which the scenes were set — Jatra.”
Santali-language short film Angen won the Best Debut Non-Feature Film of a Director award, with filmmaker Ravi Raj Murmu earning recognition for the 12-minute film in the Non-Feature Films category.
Ravi Raj Murmu said, “Mine is the first ever Santali film to win the National Award. I hope it will inspire budding filmmakers from our community. It was a workshop film, an experiment made to teach students how to make films.”
