Kartik Aaryan, Mammootty Win Best Actor Honours at 72nd National Film Awards

Actors Kartik Aaryan and Mammootty were jointly honoured with the Best Actor award at the 72nd National Film Awards, presented by President Droupadi Murmu at a ceremony in Ekta Nagar, Gujarat, on Tuesday. Aaryan was recognised for his performance in Chandu Champion, while Mammootty received the honour for his role in Bramayugam.

The ceremony marked a significant occasion as the National Film Awards were presented outside New Delhi for the first time in more than seven decades. The event brought together leading personalities from across the Indian film industry to celebrate achievements in cinema in various languages and categories.

Yami Gautam received the Best Actress award for her performance in Article 370. The film also received the Best Feature Film honour, making it one of the prominent winners at this year’s awards. Gautam’s performance in the political thriller was widely noted for portraying a character involved in a high-stakes national security operation. Actor Randeep Hooda was honoured with the Best Debut Director award for Swatantrya Veer Savarkar. The film, in which Hooda also played the lead role, marked his first outing as a director. The award recognised his work behind the camera in bringing the historical figure’s story to the screen.

The ceremony also featured the presentation of the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2024 to veteran Kannada actor Anant Nag. The honour recognises his extensive contribution to Indian cinema spanning more than five decades. Nag has worked across Kannada, Hindi and other Indian-language films during a career that includes a wide range of critically acclaimed performances.

The National Film Awards recognise outstanding contributions to Indian cinema across multiple categories, including acting, direction, music, technical achievements and regional filmmaking. The awards cover films produced in different Indian languages and provide national recognition to artists and filmmakers.

This year’s winners reflected the diversity of Indian cinema, with performers and filmmakers from different industries receiving recognition. The joint Best Actor honour for Aaryan and Mammootty also highlighted performances from two different generations of Indian actors. President Murmu presented the awards to the winners during the ceremony, which celebrated both contemporary filmmaking and long-standing contributions to the industry. The event concluded with recognition of artists whose work has contributed to the development and reach of Indian cinema.