72nd National Film Awards: Anant Nag, Yami Gautam, Dhanush, Kartik Aaryan and Mammootty receive prestigious honours

The 72nd National Film Awards ceremony was held on Tuesday, September 22, at Ekta Nagar in Gujarat. The prestigious event brought together several leading names from Indian cinema who were honoured for their work in films released during the award eligibility period.

From Yami Gautam and Kartik Aaryan to Mammootty, Dhanush, Randeep Hooda and Sanjay Mishra, several celebrated names received National Awards in different categories. Veteran actor Anant Nag was also honoured with the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award.

Yami Gautam Receives Best Actress Award

Yami Gautam was one of the biggest stars to receive an award at the ceremony. The actress won the National Film Award for Best Actress for her performance in Article 370.

Yami's performance in the film received recognition for portraying the lead character with strength and seriousness. The actress attended the ceremony with her husband and filmmaker Aditya Dhar and accepted the prestigious honour.

Article 370 Wins Best Feature Film

Yami Gautam's win was followed by another major achievement for Article 370. The film was named Best Feature Film at the 72nd National Film Awards.

The double recognition made the ceremony particularly special for the team of the film. Aditya Dhar, who was associated with the project, was also present at the event as the film celebrated its major National Award wins.

Dhanush Receives Award for Raayan

Dhanush had a memorable evening at the National Film Awards as his film Raayan was honoured as the Best Tamil Feature Film.

The award is especially significant because Dhanush directed and starred in the film. With Raayan, he took on the responsibility of leading the project both in front of and behind the camera.

Kartik Aaryan Wins Best Actor

Kartik Aaryan received the National Film Award for Best Actor for his performance in Chandu Champion.

The actor played the role of Murlikant Petkar, a Paralympic gold medallist, in the sports drama. The award recognised his performance and his work in bringing the character's journey to the screen.

Mammootty Also Honoured as Best Actor

Malayalam cinema veteran Mammootty shared the Best Actor honour with Kartik Aaryan for his performance in Bramayugam.

Mammootty's performance in the film was different from many of his previous roles, and the National Award added another major achievement to his long career in Indian cinema.

Randeep Hooda Wins Best Debut Director

Randeep Hooda received the Best Debut Director award for Swatantrya Veer Savarkar.

The film marked Hooda's debut as a director. He also played the lead role in the biographical drama, making the award an important milestone in his career as a filmmaker.

Sanjay Mishra Wins Best Supporting Actor

Veteran actor Sanjay Mishra was honoured with the Best Supporting Actor award for his performance in Bhakshak.

Known for his work across comedy, drama and serious cinema, Mishra added another major award to his career with this recognition.

Bhushan Kumar Receives Award for Srikanth

Producer Bhushan Kumar received the National Film Award for Srikanth, which won the Best Hindi Feature Film honour.

The film tells the inspiring story of industrialist Srikanth Bolla and was recognised among the Hindi films at this year's National Film Awards.

Anant Nag Receives Dadasaheb Phalke Award

One of the most special moments of the ceremony was the presentation of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award to veteran Kannada actor Anant Nag.

The award honours his outstanding contribution to Indian cinema over several decades. Anant Nag has been part of numerous memorable Kannada films and has also worked across other Indian-language cinema.

His celebrated films include Ankur, Bayalu Daari, Naa Ninna Bidalaare, Chandanada Gombe and Minchina Ota. His long and influential career has made him one of the respected names in Indian cinema.

Other Major National Award Winners

Several other films and artists were also honoured at the ceremony. Rajkumar Periasamy received the Best Director award for Amaran, while Kalki 2898 AD won the award for Best Feature Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment.

Captain Miller was recognised for promoting National, Social and Environmental Values. Chinna Katha Kaadu won the Best Children's Film award.

In the writing categories, Sukumar received the Best Screenplay award for Pushpa 2: The Rule, while Venky Atluri was honoured as Best Dialogue Writer for Lucky Baskhar.

Special Day for Indian Cinema

The 72nd National Film Awards celebrated performances, filmmaking and storytelling from across the country. With major honours going to Yami Gautam, Dhanush, Kartik Aaryan, Mammootty, Randeep Hooda, Sanjay Mishra and Anant Nag, the ceremony brought together several generations of Indian cinema.

For the winners, receiving a National Film Award marked a significant achievement and recognition of their contribution to Indian films.