The 72nd National Film Awards were announced on 18 July 2026 in New Delhi. The awards covered films certified by the Central Board of Film Certification in 2024, and the winners were selected by an 11-member jury led by filmmaker Jayaraj.
National Film Awards
The National Film Awards are among India’s highest official honours for cinema. They are presented by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and cover feature films, non-feature films, and writing on cinema.
| 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 ₹3,00,000 each |
| 2 | Best Debut Film of a Director | Swatantrya Veer Savarkar (Hindi) | Director: Randeep Hooda | Swarna Kamal ₹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 ₹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 ₹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 ₹3,00,000 each |
| 6 | Best Direction | Amaran (Tamil) | Director: Rajkumar Periasamy | Swarna Kamal ₹3,00,000 |
| 7 | Best Actor in a Leading Role | Bramayugam (Malayalam) | Actor: Mammootty | Rajat Kamal ₹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 ₹2,00,000 |
| 9 | Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Bhakshak (Hindi) | Supporting Actor: Sanjay Mishra | Rajat Kamal ₹2,00,000 |
| 10 | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | Maharaja (Tamil) | Supporting Actress: Sachana Namidass | Rajat Kamal ₹2,00,000 shared |
| Mithya (Kannada) | Supporting Actress: Ropashree Varkady | |||
| 11 | Best Child Artist | Mithya (Kannada) | Child Artist: Athish S. Shetty | Rajat Kamal ₹2,00,000 shared |
| 35 – Chinna Katha Kaadu (Telugu) | Child Artist: Arundev Pothula | |||
| Onko Ki Kothin (Bengali) | Child Artists: Riddhiman Banerjee Tapomoy Deb Gitashree Chakraborty | |||
| 12 | Best Male Playback Singer | Gharat Ganpati (Marathi) | Male Playback Singer: Abhay Jodhpurkar Song: Navasachi Gauri Mazi | Rajat Kamal ₹2,00,000 |
| 13 | Best Female Playback Singer | A. R. M. (Malayalam) | Female Playback Singer: Vaikom Vijayalakshmi Song: Angu Vaana Konilu | Rajat Kamal ₹2,00,000 |
| 14 | Best Cinematography | Bramayugam (Malayalam) | Cinematographer: Shehnad Jalal | Rajat Kamal ₹2,00,000 |
| 15 | Best Screenplay | i. Pushpa: The Rule – Part 2 (Telugu) | Screenplay Writer, Original: Bandreddi Sukumar | Rajat Kamal ₹2,00,000 each |
| ii. Swargandharva Sudhir Phadke (Marathi) | Screenplay Writer, Adapted: Yogesh Deshpande | |||
| iii. Lucky Baskhar (Telugu) | Dialogue Writer: Venky Atluri | Rajat Kamal ₹2,00,000 | ||
| 16 | Best Sound Design | Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 (Hindi) | Sound Designer: Manas Choudhury | Rajat Kamal ₹2,00,000 |
| 17 | Best Editing | Amaran (Tamil) | Editor: R. Kalaivannan | Rajat Kamal ₹2,00,000 |
| 18 | Best Production Design | Kalki 2898 AD (Telugu) | Production Designer: Nitin Zihani Choudhary | Rajat Kamal ₹2,00,000 |
| 19 | Best Costume Design | Pushpa: The Rule – Part 2 (Telugu) | Costume Designers: Deepali Noor & Sheetal Sharma | Rajat Kamal ₹2,00,000 shared |
| 20 | Best Make-up | Committee Kurrollu (Telugu) | Make-up Artist: P. Ravi Kumar | Rajat Kamal ₹2,00,000 |
| 21 | Best Music Direction | i. Article 370 (Hindi) | Music Director, Songs: Shashwat Sachdev | Rajat Kamal ₹2,00,000 |
| ii. Amaran (Tamil) | Music Director, Background Music: G. V. Prakash Kumar | Rajat Kamal ₹2,00,000 | ||
| 22 | Best Lyrics | Maidaan (Hindi) | Lyricist: Manoj Muntashir Song: Jaane Do | Rajat Kamal ₹2,00,000 |
| 23 | Best Choreography | Stree 2 (Hindi) | Choreographer: Vijay Ganguly Song: Aaj Ki Raat | Rajat Kamal ₹2,00,000 |
| 24 | Best Action Direction (Stunt Choreography) | Maharaja (Tamil) | Stunt Choreographer: Anl Arasu | Rajat Kamal ₹2,00,000 |
| 25 | Best Feature Film in Each Language Specified in Schedule VIII of the Constitution | |||
| a. Best Assamese Film | Juiphool | Producer & Director: Jadumoni Dutta | Rajat Kamal ₹2,00,000 each | |
| b. Best Bengali Film | Chalchitra Ekhon | Producer: Anjan Dutt Production Director: Anjan Dutt | Rajat Kamal ₹2,00,000 each | |
| c. Best Gujarati Film | Maaran | Producer: Cineman Productions Limited Director: Abhishek Jain | Rajat Kamal ₹2,00,000 each | |
| d. Best Hindi Film | Srikanth | Producers: Super Cassettes Industries Pvt. Ltd. Chalk N Cheese Films Production LLP Director: Tushar Hiranandani | Rajat Kamal ₹2,00,000 each | |
| e. Best Kannada Film | Mithya | Producers: Paramvah Pictures & KRG Studios Director: Sumanth Bhat | Rajat Kamal ₹2,00,000 each | |
| f. Best Konkani Film | Mog Asum | Producers: Flowing Mandovi Films LLP R S Creations Kathputlee Arts and Films Pvt. Ltd. Directors: Radheshyam Pipalwa & Agnelo Angelo Braganza | Rajat Kamal ₹2,00,000 each | |
| g. Best Malayalam Film | Feminichi Fathima | Producers: 1001 Stories & AFD Cinemas Director: Fasil Muhammed | Rajat Kamal ₹2,00,000 each | |
| h. Best Manipuri Film | Sunita | Producers: Skyline Pictures Khuman Leipak Pictures H. M. Production & Cultural Society Khuman Maheikol Production Director: Yumnam Ajit Singh | Rajat Kamal ₹2,00,000 each | |
| i. Best Marathi Film | Mukkam Post Bombilwadi | Producers: Vivek Films Mayasabha Karamanuk Mandali LLP Director: Paresh Mokashi | Rajat Kamal ₹2,00,000 each | |
| j. Best Odia Film | Lahari | Producer: Jhilik Motion Pictures Director: Amartya Bhattacharyya | Rajat Kamal ₹2,00,000 each | |
| k. Best Tamil Film | Raayan | Producer: Sun TV Network Limited Director: Dhanush | Rajat Kamal ₹2,00,000 each | |
| l. Best Telugu Film | Committee Kurrollu | Producers: Pink Elephant Pictures Shree Radha Damodara Studios Director: Yadhu Vamsee | Rajat Kamal ₹2,00,000 each | |
| 26 | Best Feature Film in Each Language 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 ₹2,00,000 each | |
| b. Best Tulu Film | IMBU | Producer: Pichchar Studio Director: Shivadhwaj Shetty | Rajat Kamal ₹2,00,000 each | |
| 27 | Special Mention | Captain Miller | Actor: Dhanush | Certificate |
| Meiyazhagan (Tamil) | Film Sound Mix Engineer: Suren G. | Certificate |
Writing on Cinema and Criticism
Sanjeev Srivastava received the Best Film Critic award. K. Pradeep Kumar Shetty won Best Writing on Cinema for the Kannada book Naaniruvude Nimagaagi Naadiruvude Nanagaagi Kannada Cinemaada Thathva matthu Rajakeeya. The National Film Awards are administered under the Directorate of Film Festivals, which functions under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The awards are generally announced annually and recognise films in multiple Indian languages.
Important Facts
- The National Film Awards are organised by the Government of India through the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
- The Central Board of Film Certification certifies films for eligibility in the National Film Awards.
- The awards include categories for feature films, non-feature films, and writing on cinema.
- The 72nd National Film Awards were announced in New Delhi on 18 July 2026.
Jury and Administration
The 72nd National Film Awards were decided by an 11-member jury headed by filmmaker Jayaraj. The awards are part of India’s annual national-level recognition system for cinema.