The 72nd National Film Awards 2026 were announced by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in New Delhi, celebrating the finest achievements in Indian cinema for films certified in 2024. Article 370 emerged as the biggest winner of the evening, taking home Best Feature Film, while Kartik Aaryan, Mammootty, and Yami Gautam led a star-studded list of acting honourees across Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu cinema.
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72nd National Film Awards 2026: Quick Facts
| Best Feature Film | Article 370 |
| Best Actor (Joint) | Kartik Aaryan (Chandu Champion), Mammootty (Bramayugam) |
| Best Actress | Yami Gautam (Article 370) |
| Best Director | Rajkumar Periasamy (Amaran) |
| Eligible Films | CBFC-certified titles from January to December 2024 |
| Jury Chair | Filmmaker Jayaraj (11-member jury) |
| Announcement Date | July 18, 2026, New Delhi |
Note: Details in this report are based on coverage from Variety, Harper’s Bazaar India, The Hollywood Reporter India, and FilmiBeat.
Article 370 Leads the 72nd National Film Awards 2026
Topping this year’s 72nd National Film Awards 2026 was Article 370, a political drama centered on the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. The film blends a thriller-style narrative with real historical developments, following an intelligence officer navigating the region’s turbulent security landscape, and was praised for handling a sensitive national subject with scale and narrative tension. Beyond Best Feature Film, the film also picked up recognition in the music category, with Sashwat Sachdev winning Best Background Score.
Kartik Aaryan and Mammootty Share Best Actor
One of the evening’s biggest talking points was the Best Actor award being shared between two very different performances. Kartik Aaryan won for his physically transformative role in the sports drama Chandu Champion, while Mammootty was honoured for his performance in Bramayugam, a Malayalam period horror film shot in stark black-and-white, where he played a menacing, enigmatic landlord whose mansion traps a wandering singer in a battle of wits and survival.
Yami Gautam Wins Best Actress
Yami Gautam took home Best Actress for her role as a sharp, determined intelligence bureau officer in Article 370, a performance that carried much of the film’s narrative momentum and anchored its political thriller elements.
Other Major Winners at the 72nd National Film Awards 2026
- Best Supporting Actor: Vijayaraghavan (Pookkaalam)
- Best Supporting Actress: Rupashree Varkadi (Kandeelu: The Ray of Hope)
- Best Child Artist: Master Harish (Mithya)
- Best Original Screenplay: Kishkindha Kaandam
- Best Adapted Screenplay: Aadujeevitham – The Goat Life
- Best Dialogues: Atal
- Best Music Direction (Songs): Devi Sri Prasad (Pushpa 2: The Rule)
- Best Background Score: Sashwat Sachdev (Article 370)
- Best Lyrics: Manoj Muntashir (Srikanth)
- Best Male Playback Singer: Javed Ali
- Best Female Playback Singer: Shreya Ghoshal
- Best Cinematography: Aadujeevitham – The Goat Life
- Best Editing: Kishkindha Kaandam
Beyond these categories, films like Amaran, Kalki 2898 AD, Pushpa 2: The Rule, and Maharaja also picked up recognition across technical and regional categories, underlining the diversity of Indian filmmaking honoured this year.
Key Talking Points
1. A Rare Split in the Best Actor Category
Sharing the Best Actor honour between a mainstream Hindi sports drama and a Malayalam art-house horror film reflects the jury’s attempt to recognize very different, equally demanding forms of acting.
2. Regional Cinema’s Strong Showing
With wins spanning Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu titles alongside Hindi cinema, this year’s awards once again highlighted how deeply the National Film Awards represent India’s multilingual film industry.
3. Music and Technical Categories Spread Across Languages
From Devi Sri Prasad’s Telugu chart-topper to Shreya Ghoshal’s playback win, the technical and music categories this year reflected contributions from across the country’s major film industries.
72nd National Film Awards 2026: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Which film won Best Feature Film at the 72nd National Film Awards?
Article 370 won Best Feature Film at the 72nd National Film Awards 2026.
Who won Best Actor at the National Film Awards 2026?
The Best Actor award was shared between Kartik Aaryan for Chandu Champion and Mammootty for Bramayugam.
Who won Best Actress at the 72nd National Film Awards?
Yami Gautam won Best Actress for her performance in Article 370.
Who won Best Director this year?
Rajkumar Periasamy won Best Director for the Tamil film Amaran, which also earned several technical honours.
Which films were eligible for the 72nd National Film Awards?
Films certified by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) between January 1 and December 31, 2024, were eligible for this year’s awards.
Conclusion — A Celebration of Indian Cinema’s Diversity
The 72nd National Film Awards 2026 once again showcased the breadth of Indian filmmaking, from Article 370’s politically charged storytelling to Mammootty’s haunting performance in Bramayugam and Kartik Aaryan’s transformative turn in Chandu Champion. With wins spread across Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu cinema, this year’s ceremony reaffirmed that India’s biggest cinematic honours continue to reflect the full range of its film industry.
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