New Delhi | July 18, 2026: The Government of India on Friday announced the winners of the 72nd National Film Awards for the year 2024, celebrating outstanding achievements in Indian cinema across feature films, documentaries, and technical categories.

Leading the honours was “Article 370,” which won the prestigious Best Feature Film award, while its lead actress Yami Gautam received the Best Actress in a Leading Role award for her powerful performance in the political thriller.

In the Best Actor category, the honour was jointly awarded to Kartik Aaryan for his inspiring portrayal in “Chandu Champion” and legendary Malayalam actor Mammootty for his acclaimed performance in “Bramayugam.”

A major highlight of this year’s awards was Randeep Hooda, who earned recognition for his successful directorial debut with “Swatantrya Veer Savarkar,” marking an impressive milestone in his filmmaking career.

In the non-feature film category, “Bhangaar” received the Best Non-Feature Film award, while “Ram-Nami” was honoured as the Best Documentary, recognising excellence in documentary filmmaking and socially relevant storytelling.

Several of India’s biggest commercial successes also received national recognition. “Kalki 2898 AD,” “Pushpa: The Rule – Part 2,” “Stree 2,” and “Amaran” featured prominently among the winners across various technical and performance categories, reflecting the diversity and growing global appeal of Indian cinema.

Key Winners – 72nd National Film Awards (2024)

• 🏆 Best Feature Film: Article 370
• 🏆 Best Actor (Leading Role): Kartik Aaryan (Chandu Champion) and Mammootty (Bramayugam)
• 🏆 Best Actress (Leading Role): Yami Gautam (Article 370)
• 🏆 Best Directorial Debut: Randeep Hooda (Swatantrya Veer Savarkar)
• 🏆 Best Non-Feature Film: Bhangaar
• 🏆 Best Documentary: Ram-Nami

The National Film Awards remain India’s highest official recognition for cinematic excellence, honouring films and artists that have made significant contributions to the country’s rich and diverse film industry. The awards continue to celebrate creativity, innovation, storytelling, and technical brilliance across all Indian languages and genres.