President Droupadi Murmu will present the 72nd National Film Awards at Ekta Nagar in Gujarat on September 22, marking a significant departure from the ceremony’s long-standing Delhi venue. The event will honour outstanding contributions to Indian cinema for films certified in 2024, with veteran Kannada actor Anant Nag set to receive the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. The ceremony will also bring together leading actors, filmmakers and technicians from across the country.
A Historic Shift in The National Film Awards
Instituted in 1954, the National Film Awards recognise creative and technical excellence across feature films, non-feature films and writing on cinema. Over the decades, they have become a major national platform for celebrating India’s multilingual and culturally diverse film industry. The 72nd edition marks the first time the awards ceremony is being held outside Delhi.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has decided to take future ceremonies to different parts of the country, with the Ekta Nagar event reflecting the stated objective of showcasing India’s regional and cultural diversity.
Anant Nag to Receive Cinema’s Highest Honour
The most prominent honour of the evening will go to Anant Nag, who will receive the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2024 for his contribution to Indian cinema. With a career spanning more than five decades and over 300 films across Kannada, Hindi and other languages, Nag has remained an important figure in Indian cinema.
The major awardees include:
· Best Feature Film: Article 370
· Best Actress: Yami Gautam for Article 370
· Best Actor: Mammootty for Bramayugam and Kartik Aaryan for Chandu Champion
· Best Director: Rajkumar Periasamy for Amaran
· Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment: Kalki 2898 AD
· Best Debut Director: Randeep Hooda for Swatantrya Veer Savarkar
· Best Non-Feature Film: Bhangaar
· Best Documentary: Ram-Nami
Regional Cinema Gets Wider National Recognition
The awards also underline the breadth of Indian filmmaking. Films from Marathi, Santhali, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, Tulu and Garhwali cinema feature among the recognised works. Significantly, a Santhali film is being honoured for the first time in the Non-Feature Film section, reflecting the growing recognition of tribal and regional storytelling.
Commercially successful films such as Pushpa: The Rule Part-02, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 and Stree 2 have also secured honours in different categories.
A New National Stage for Indian Cinema
The move to Ekta Nagar is more than a change of venue. It represents an effort to take a prestigious national cultural institution closer to different regions of India while placing diverse cinematic traditions on a common platform. With 2024’s films being celebrated against the backdrop of the Statue of Unity, the 72nd National Film Awards combines recognition of artistic achievement with a broader message about India’s linguistic and cultural plurality.
(With agency inputs)
