‘Article 370’ Wins Best Feature Film as 72nd National Film Awards Honour Excellence Across Indian Cinema
Yami Gautam, Mammootty and Kartik Aaryan among top winners as regional and mainstream cinema share national honours
By Suman Munshi | IBG NEWS
New Delhi | July 19, 2026
The winners of the 72nd National Film Awards were announced, celebrating outstanding achievements in Indian cinema for the year 2024. The prestigious honours recognise excellence across feature films, non-feature films and writings on cinema, highlighting the creativity, diversity and artistic brilliance of filmmakers from across the country.
The biggest honour of the evening went to “Article 370”, which was named Best Feature Film. The political thriller also brought further recognition to its lead actress Yami Gautam, who won the Best Actress in a Leading Role award for her performance. The film also secured the award for Best Music Direction (Songs), making it one of the most celebrated productions of the year.
Sharing the Best Actor in a Leading Role award were Malayalam cinema legend Mammootty for his powerful performance in “Bramayugam” and Bollywood actor Kartik Aaryan for his inspirational portrayal in “Chandu Champion.”
Actor-director Randeep Hooda earned the Best Debut Director honour for “Swatantrya Veer Savarkar,” marking a successful beginning to his directorial career.
The blockbuster science-fiction epic “Kalki 2898 AD” received the award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, while Tamil film “Amaran” secured the Best Direction award for filmmaker Rajkumar Periasamy. The film further strengthened its position by winning honours for Best Editing and Best Background Music.
Among the supporting performances, Sanjay Mishra was recognised as Best Supporting Actor for “Bhakshak.” The Best Supporting Actress award was jointly presented to Sachana Namidass for “Maharaja” and Ropashree Varkady for “Mithya.”
Young talent also received national recognition, with child artists from Mithya, 35 – Chinna Katha Kaadu, and the Bengali film Onko Ki Kothin sharing the Best Child Artist honour.
Several technical categories reflected the industry’s growing emphasis on cinematic craftsmanship. “Pushpa: The Rule Part-02” won awards for Screenplay and Costume Design, “Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3” received the Best Sound Design award, “Stree 2” won Best Choreography, while “Maharaja” earned recognition for Best Action Direction.
Regional cinema continued to make a strong impact at the national level. Acclaimed filmmaker Anjan Dutt’s “Chalchitra Ekhon” was honoured as the Best Bengali Film, while outstanding films from Assamese, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati, Konkani, Manipuri and several other languages were also recognised.
In the Non-Feature Film category, “Bhangaar” won the Best Non-Feature Film award, while “Ram-Nami” was adjudged Best Documentary. “Angen” received the Best Debut Film of a Director award, and filmmaker Aanand L. Rai was honoured with the Best Direction award for the documentary “Statue of Unity – Ekta Ka Prateek.”
The awards also recognised excellence in cinema literature. The Kannada publication “Naaniruvude Nimagaagi Naadiruvude Nanagaagi: Kannada Cinemada Thathva Matthu Rajakeeya” received the Best Book on Cinema award, while Sanjeev Shrivastava was honoured as Best Film Critic.
The 72nd National Film Awards once again showcased the richness of Indian cinema, recognising films that combined artistic excellence, compelling storytelling, technical innovation and cultural relevance across multiple languages and genres.
The complete list of the awardees is provided below
72nd National Film Awards, 2024 Feature Films Section
| S. No | Category of Award | Title of the Film | Awardee | Medal & Cash Prize |
| 1. | Best Feature Film | Article 370(Hindi) | Producer: Jio Studios & B62 Studios Director: Aditya Suhas Jambhale | Swarna Kamal Rs. 3,00,000/- (each) |
| 2. | Best Debut Film of a Director | Swatantrya Veer Savarkar(Hindi) | Director: Randeep Hooda | Swarna Kamal Rs. 3,00,000/- |
| 3. | Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment | Kalki 2898 AD(Telugu) | Producer: Vyjayanthi Movies Director: Nag Ashwin Singireddy | Swarna Kamal Rs. 3,00,000/- (each) |
| 4 | Best Feature Film Promoting National, Social and Environmental Values | Captain Miller(Tamil) | Producer: Sathya Jyothi Films Director: Arun Matheswaran | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2,00,000/- (each) |
| 5. | Best Children’s Film | 35- Chinna Katha Kaadu(Telugu) | Producer: S Originals & Waltair Productions Pvt. Ltd. Director: Nanda Kishore Emani | Swarna Kamal Rs. 3,00,000/- (each) |
| 6. | Best Direction | Amaran(Tamil) | Director: Rajkumar Periasamy | Swarna KamalRs. 3,00,000/- |
| 7. | Best Actor in a Leading Role | Bramayugam(Malayalam) | Actor: Mammootty | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2,00,000/- (shared) |
| Chandu Champion(Hindi) | Actor: Kartik Aaryan | |||
| 8. | Best Actress in a Leading Role | Article 370(Hindi) | Actress: Yami Gautam | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2,00,000/- |
| 9. | Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Bhakshak(Hindi) | Supporting Actor: Sanjay Mishra | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2,00,000/- |
| 10. | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | Maharaja(Tamil) | Supporting Actress: Sachana Namidass | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2,00,000/- (shared) |
| Mithya(Kannada) | Supporting Actress: Ropashree Varkady | |||
| 11. | Best Child Artist | Mithya(Kannada) | Child Artist: Athish S Shetty | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2,00,000/- (shared) |
| 35- Chinna Katha Kaadu(Telugu) | Child Artist: Arundev Pothula | |||
| Onko Ki Kothin(Bengali) | Child Artist: Riddhiman Banerjee Tapomoy Deb Gitashree Chakraborty | |||
| 12. | Best Male Playback Singer | Gharat Ganpati(Marathi) | Male Playback Singer: Abhay Jodhpurkar(For Song: Navasachi Gauri Mazi) | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2,00,000/- |
| 13. | Best Female Playback Singer | A. R. M(Malayalam) | Female Playback Singer: Vaikom Vijayalakshmi(For Song: Angu Vaana Konilu) | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2,00,000/- |
| 14. | Best Cinematography | Bramayugam(Malayalam) | Cinematographer: Shehnad Jalal | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2,00,000/- |
| 15. | Best Screenplay | i. Pushpa (The Rule Part – 02) (Telugu) | Screenplay Writer (Original): Bandreddi Sukumar | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2,00,000/- (each) |
| ii. Swargandharva Sudhir Phadke (Marathi) | Screenplay Writer (Adapted): Yogesh Deshpande | |||
| iii. Lucky Baskhar (Telugu) | Dialogue Writer: Venky Atluri | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2,00,000/- | ||
| 16. | Best Sound Design | Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3(Hindi) | Sound Designer: Manas Choudhury | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2,00,000/- |
| 17. | Best Editing | Amaran(Tamil) | Editor: R. Kalaivannan | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2,00,000/- |
| 18. | Best Production Design | Kalki 2898 AD(Telugu) | Production Designer: Nitin Zihani Choudhary | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2,00,000/- |
| 19. | Best Costume Design | Pushpa (The Rule Part – 02)(Telugu) | Costume Designer: Deepali Noor & Sheetal Sharma | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2,00,000/- (shared) |
| 20. | Best Make-up | Committee Kurrollu(Telugu) | Make-up Artist: P Ravi Kumar | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2,00,000/- |
| 21. | Best Music Direction | i. Article 370 (Hindi) | Music Director (Songs): Shashwat Sachdev | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2,00,000/- |
| ii. Amaran (Tamil) | Music Director (Background Music):G. V. Prakash Kumar | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2,00,000/- | ||
| 22. | Best Lyrics | Maidaan(Hindi) | Lyricist: Manoj Muntashir (For Song: Jaane Do) | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2,00,000/- |
| 23. | Best Choreography | Stree 2(Hindi) | Choreographer: Vijay Ganguly (For Song: Aaj Ki Raat) | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2,00,000/- |
| 24. | Best Action Direction (Stunt Choreography) | Maharaja(Tamil) | Stunt Choreographer: Anl Arasu | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2,00,000/- |
| 25. | Best Feature Film in each of the language specified in the Schedule VIII of the Constitution | |||
| a | Best Assamese Film | Juiphool | Producer & Director: Jadumoni Dutta | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2,00,000/- (each) |
| b | Best Bengali Film | Chalchitra Ekhon | Producer: Anjan Dutt Production Director: Anjan Dutt | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2,00,000/- (each) |
| c | Best Gujarati Film | Maaran | Producer: Cineman Productions Limited Director: Abhishek Jain | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2,00,000/- (each) |
| d | Best Hindi Film | Srikanth | Producer: Super Cassettes Industries Pvt. Ltd.Chalk N Cheese Films Production LLP Director: Tushar Hiranandani | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2,00,000/- (each) |
| e | Best Kannada Film | Mithya | Producer: Paramvah Pictures & KRG Studios Director: Sumanth Bhat | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2,00,000/- (each) |
| f | Best Konkani Film | Mog Asum | Producer: Flowing Mandovi Films LLP R S Creations Kathputlee Arts and Films Pvt. Ltd.Director: Radheshyam Pipalwa & Agnelo Angelo Braganza | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2,00,000/- (each) |
| g | Best Malayalam Film | Feminichi Fathima | Producer: 1001 Stories & AFD Cinemas Director: Fasil Muhammed | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2,00,000/- (each) |
| h | Best Manipuri Film | Sunita | Producer: Skyline Pictures, Khuman Leipak Pictures, H. M. Production & Cultural Society Khuman Maheikol Production Director: Yumnam Ajit Singh | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2,00,000/- (each) |
| i | Best Marathi Film | Mukkam Post Bombilwadi | Producer: Vivek Films Mayasabha Karamanuk Mandali LLP Director: Paresh Mokashi | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2,00,000/- (each) |
| j | Best Odia Film | Lahari | Producer: Jhilik Motion Pictures Director: Amartya Bhattacharyya | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2,00,000/- (each) |
| k | Best Tamil Film | Raayan | Producer: Sun TV Network Limited Director: Dhanush | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2,00,000/- (each) |
| l | Best Telugu Film | Committee Kurrollu | Producer: Pink Elephant Pictures Shree Radha Damodara StudiosDirector: Yadhu Vamsee | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2,00,000/- (each) |
| 26. | Best Feature Film in each of the Languages other than those specified in Schedule VIII of the Constitution | |||
| a | Best Garhwali Film | Dholi | Producer: SC Pharmachem Pvt. Ltd. Director: Dinesh P. Bhonsle | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2,00,000/- (each) |
| b | Best Tulu Film | IMBU | Producer: Pichchar Studio Director: Shivadhwaj Shetty | Rajat Kamal Rs. 2,00,000/- (each) |
| 27. | Special Mention | Captain Miller | Actor: Dhanush | Certificate |
| Meiyazhagan (Tamil) | Film Sound Mix Engineer: Suren G. | |||
72nd National Film Awards, 2024 Non-Feature Films Section
| S. No. | Category of Award | Title of the Film | Awardee | Medal & Cash Prize |
| 1. | Best Non-Feature Film | Bhangaar(Marathi & English) | Producer & Director: Sumira Roy | Swarna KamalRs. 3,00,000/- (each) |
| 2. | Best Debut Film of a Director | Angen(Santhali) | Director: Ravi Raj Murmu | Swarna KamalRs. 3,00,000/- |
| 3. | Best Biographical / Historical Reconstruction / Compilation Film | Kakori(Hindi) | Producer: KSR Brothers Minti Mishra Director: Kamlesh K Mishra | Rajat KamalRs 2,00,000/- (each) |
| 4. | Best Arts / Culture Film | Main Nida(Hindi) | Producer: Sampreshan Multimedia Pvt. Ltd. Director: Atul Pandey | Rajat KamalRs 2,00,000/- (each) |
| 5. | Best Documentary | Ram-Nami(Hindi) | Producer: BBP Studio Virtual Bharat Pvt. Ltd. Director: Bharatbala Ganapathy | Rajat KamalRs 2,00,000/- (each) |
| 6. | Best Non-Feature Film Promoting Social and Environmental Values | Piplantri: A Tale of Eco Feminism(Hindi, Rajasthani & English) | Producer: Johnsons Suraj Films InternationalDirector: Suraj Kumar | Rajat KamalRs 2,00,000/- (each) |
| 7. | Best Animation Film | Touched as Water(Silent) | Producer: JB Productions Director & Animator: Joshy Benedict | Rajat KamalRs 2,00,000/- (each) |
| 8. | Best Short Film (Up to 30 Min) | Hamsafar(Marathi) | Producer: Anushka Motion Pictures and Entertainments Director: Abhijeet Arvind Dalvi | Rajat KamalRs 2,00,000/- (each) |
| 9. | Best Direction | Statue of Unity – Ekta ka Prateek(Hindi) | Director: Aanand L Rai | Swarna KamalRs 3,00,000/- |
| 10. | Best Cinematography | Life in Loom(English, Tamil, Hindi, Assamese & Bengali) | Cinematographer: Edmond Ranson | Rajat KamalRs 2,00,000/- |
| 11. | Best Sound Design | Blue(Tamil) | Sound Designer: T S Hari Hara Sudhan | Rajat KamalRs 2,00,000/- |
| 12. | Best Editing | NDA(Hindi) | Editor: Manvir Jasrotia | Rajat KamalRs 2,00,000/- |
| 13. | Best Music Direction | Parat 41°chya Magavar (On the Trail of 41°)(Marathi) | Music Director: Shivpal Singh Kang | Rajat KamalRs 2,00,000/- |
| 14. | Best Narration/ Voice Over | Little Planet: A Tale of Frogs(English) | Narrator: Soundarya Jayachandran | Rajat KamalRs 2,00,000/- |
| 15. | Best Script | Obur(Hindi & Kashmiri) | Script Writer: Faraz Ali | Rajat KamalRs. 2,00,000/- |
| 16. | Special Mention | Bhadra-Kali Natakam(Malayalam) | Director: Ananda Jyothi (Jose Antony) | Certificate |
| Chola Dora aur Sui(Hindi) | Director: Jaymin Modi & Lokesh Ghai | Certificate (each) |
72nd National Film Awards, 2024 Best Writing on Cinema
Award for Best Book on Cinema:
| S. No. | Title of the Book | Language | Name of the Author | Name of the Publisher | Medal and Cash prize |
| 1 | Naaniruvude Nimagaagi Naadiruvude Nanagaagi: Kannada Cinemada Thathva matthu Rajakeeya | Kannada | Kenchanuru Pradeep Kumar Shetty | Mirror Pusthaka | Swarna Kamal and Rs. 1,00,000/- (each) |
Award for Best Film Critic:
| S. No. | Name of Critic | Language | Medal and Cash Prize |
| 1. | Sanjeev Shrivastava | Hindi | Swarna Kamal and Rs. 1,00,000/- |
72nd National Film Awards, 2024 Jury
Feature Films Jury
| CENTRAL PANEL | |
| S. No. | Name of the Jury |
| 1. | Sh. Jayaraj (Chairperson) |
| 2. | Sh. Om Raut (Member) |
| 3. | Sh. Aseem Bajaj (Member) |
| 4. | Ms. Priya Krishnaswamy (Member) |
| 5. | Sh. Rakesh Ranjan (Member) |
| 6. | Sh. Napoleon RZ Thanga (Member) |
| 7. | Ms. Meerra Chopraa (Member) |
| 8. | Ms. Sreelekha Mukherji (Member) |
| 9. | Ms. Archana Udupa (Member) |
| 10. | Sh. V N Aditya (Member) |
| 11. | Ms. G Kala (Member) |
Regional Jury
| EAST PANEL | NORTH PANEL | ||
| S. No. | Name of the Jury | S. No. | Name of the Jury |
| 1. | Sh. B S Basavaraj (Chairperson) | 1. | Sh. Akshaya Kumar Parija (Chairperson) |
| 2. | Sh. Surya Deo (Member) | 2. | Sh. Panchakshari (Member) |
| 3. | Sh. Sanjeev Rattan (Member) | 3. | Sh. Arfi Lamba (Member) |
| 4. | Sh. Tushar Kanti Bandyopadhyay (Member) | 4. | Sh. Kumar (Member) |
| 5. | Sh. Thokchom Jimmy (Member) | ||
| SOUTH I PANEL | WEST PANEL | ||
| S.No. | Name of the Jury | S. No. | Name of the Jury |
| 1. | Ms. Manju Borah (Chairperson) | 1. | Sh. Supratim Bhol (Chairperson) |
| 2. | Sh. Santhosh Damodharan (Member) | 2. | Sh. Shashi Khandare (Member) |
| 3. | Sh. Manoj Pillai (Member) | 3. | Ms. Kshitija Khandagale (Member) |
| 4. | Sh. S Muthu Ganesh (Member) | 4. | Sh. Pritesh Sodha (Member) |
| 5. | Sh. Adeep Tandon (Member) | ||
| SOUTH II PANEL | |
| S.No. | Name of the Jury |
| Ms. Gopi Desai (Chairperson) | |
| Sh. M S Prasad (Member) | |
| Ms. Prashanti Harathi (Member) | |
| Sh. Sandesh Ajri (Member) | |
NON-FEATURE FILMS JURY
| S.No. | Name of the Jury |
| Sh. Aseem Sinha (Chairperson) | |
| Sh. Kamlesh Udasi (Member) | |
| Sh. Harri Nair (Member) | |
| Sh. Kedar Gaekwad (Member) | |
| Ms. Thripthi Sundar Abhikar (Member) | |
| Sh. James Khangenbam (Member) | |
| Sh E V Ganeshbabu (Member) |
BEST WRITING ON CINEMA JURY
| Sh. A Chandrasekhar (Chairperson) | |
| Ms. Rwita Dutta (Member) | |
| Ms. Sujata Shiven (Member) |
IBG NEWS Analysis
This year’s National Film Awards demonstrate the continued evolution of Indian cinema, where commercially successful productions stand alongside critically acclaimed regional films in receiving national recognition. The results underline the growing importance of strong storytelling, technical excellence and culturally rooted narratives. With winners representing diverse linguistic traditions and filmmaking styles, the awards reaffirm India’s position as one of the world’s most vibrant and dynamic film industries.
