National Film Awards 2026: Mammootty, Yami, Kartik to be honoured
The 72nd National Film Awards ceremony will take place on Tuesday, September 22, at Ekta Nagar in Kevadia, Gujarat, with President Droupadi Murmu presenting the honours. This year’s ceremony marks a significant change in tradition as the prestigious awards are being presented outside New Delhi for the first time. The event will be held near the Statue of Unity and will honour the best of Indian cinema for 2024.
A total of 92 winners will be honoured across various categories. Among the biggest highlights of the ceremony will be veteran Kannada actor Anant Nag receiving the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2024 for his contribution to Indian cinema over a career spanning more than five decades. Nag, who has worked across Kannada, Hindi and other Indian-language films, is known for movies such as Ankur, Nishant, Bhumika, Malgudi Days and KGF: Chapter 1. He also received the Padma Shri in 2025.
The major winners this year include Yami Gautam, who has been named Best Actress for Article 370, while Mammootty (Bramayugam) and Kartik Aaryan (Chandu Champion) share the Best Actor honour. Article 370 has won Best Feature Film, while Rajkumar Periasamy has been named Best Director for Amaran. Randeep Hooda has won Best Debut Director for Swatantrya Veer Savarkar.
Follow India Today’s live updates for the latest from the ceremony, including celebrity arrivals, award presentations, speeches, winners, reactions, photographs and other highlights from Kevadia. The ceremony begins at 3 pm and will also be streamed live on DD National’s YouTube channel.
Kartik Aaryan visited Gujarat’s Statue of Unity and shared pictures from his trip, along with glimpses of theplas, ahead of the 72nd National Film Awards. The visit came a day before he is set to receive his first National Award for Chandu Champion, sharing the Best Actor honour with Mammootty.
The winners of the 72nd National Film Awards will be felicitated today in Gujarat. Yami Gautam, Mammootty and Kartik Aaryan among the top acting winners. The awards recognise notable films and performances from across Indian cinema.
The 72nd National Film Awards will be presented by President Murmu in Gujarat today. This year’s ceremony will be the first to be held outside Delhi, with the government planning to take the event to different parts of the country in the future. You can livestream the ceremony on YouTube.
