72nd National Film Awards: Anant Nag To Receive Dadasaheb Phalke Award, Article 370 Wins Best Film

The 72nd National Film Awards will bring together some of the biggest names and films in Indian cinema on September 22, with the President of India presenting the honours at Ekta Nagar in Gujarat. The ceremony recognises achievements in Indian cinema for the year 2024 and marks a new chapter as the prestigious awards move beyond the National Capital.

Veteran actor Anant Nag will receive the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2024, recognising his contribution to Indian cinema over a career spanning more than five decades. Known for his extensive work in Kannada cinema as well as other Indian-language films, Nag is being honoured for his enduring artistic contribution.

Among the biggest winners, Article 370 has been named Best Feature Film, with producers Jio Studios and B62 Studios and director Aditya Suhas Jambhale receiving the honour. Yami Gautam has also won Best Actress in a Leading Role for the film.

The Best Actor in a Leading Role award has been shared by two major stars, Mammootty for Bramayugam and Kartik Aaryan for Chandu Champion. Randeep Hooda has won Best Debut Film of a Director for Swatantrya Veer Savarkar, while Rajkumar Periasamy has been named Best Director for Amaran.

The awards also recognise films across genres and languages. Kalki 2898 AD has won the award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. Captain Miller has been recognised as the Best Feature Film Promoting National, Social and Environmental Values, while 35-Chinna Katha Kaadu has won Best Children's Film.

In the supporting acting categories, Sanjay Mishra has won Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Bhakshak. The Best Actress in a Supporting Role award has been shared by Sachana Namidass for Maharaja and Ropashree Varkady for Mithya. The Best Child Artist honour has also been shared, going to Athish S Shetty for Mithya, Arundev Pothula for 35–Chinna Katha Kaadu and the child artistes Riddhiman Banerjee, Tapomoy Deb and Gitashree Chakraborty for Onko Ki Kothin.

Music and other creative categories have also produced notable winners. Abhay Jodhpurkar has won Best Male Playback Singer for Gharat Ganpati, while Vaikom Vijayalakshmi has won Best Female Playback Singer for A.R.M. The Best Music Direction honours include Shashwat Sachdev for songs in Article 370 and G.V. Prakash Kumar for background music in Amaran.

In the non-feature section, Bhangaar, produced and directed by Sumira Roy, has won Best Non-Feature Film, while Ram-Nami, directed by Bharatbala Ganapathy, has been named Best Documentary. Ravi Raj Murmu has won Best Debut Film of a Director in the non-feature category for Angen, while Kakori and Main Nida have also been recognised in their respective categories.

The awards also acknowledge writing and criticism around cinema. Sanjeev Shrivastava has been named Best Film Critic, while the Best Book on Cinema honour goes to Naaniruvude Nimagaagi Naadiruvude Nanagaagi, written by Dr Pradeep Kenchanuru and published by Mirror Pusthaka.

Several popular films, including Pushpa: The Rule Part-02, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 and Stree 2, have also secured honours in different categories. The awards cover a wide range of languages and filmmaking traditions, including Marathi, Santhali, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, Tulu and Garhwali.

The 72nd National Film Awards are particularly significant for their new venue. Traditionally associated with New Delhi, the ceremony is being held at Ekta Nagar, Kevadia, Gujarat, as part of the government's decision to take the National Film Awards to different parts of the country in the coming years.