National Film Awards 2026 major winners: Yami Gautam wins Best Actress for Article 370; Kartik Aaryan and Mammootty share Best Actor honour
The winners of the 72nd National Film Awards were announced by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in New Delhi on Saturday, honouring the finest achievements in Indian cinema across feature films, non-feature films and writing on cinema. The awards recognise films certified by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) between January 1 and December 31, 2024.One of the biggest highlights of this year’s honours was Yami Gautam winning the Best Actress award for her powerful performance in Article 370. The film also emerged as the biggest winner of the ceremony by taking home the prestigious Best Feature Film award.Sharing the Best Actor honour were Kartik Aaryan for his transformative performance in Chandu Champion and Mammootty for his critically acclaimed role in the Malayalam horror drama Bramayugam.
Article 370 emerges as the biggest winner
Directed by Aditya Suhas Jambhale, Article 370 won the coveted Best Feature Film award in addition to earning Yami Gautam the Best Actress trophy. The political thriller had received widespread appreciation upon its release for its storytelling and performances.
Kartik Aaryan, Mammootty share Best Actor award
The jury honoured two performances in the Best Actor category. Kartik Aaryan was recognised for Chandu Champion, with critics praising his physical transformation and commitment to portraying Paralympian Murlikant Petkar. Veteran star Mammootty received the honour for his haunting performance in Rahul Sadasivan’s Bramayugam, a role that had earned widespread acclaim from audiences and critics alike.
Other major winners
Director Rajkumar Periasamy won Best Director for the Tamil blockbuster Amaran, while Nag Ashwin’s sci-fi epic Kalki: 2898 AD was named Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment.Actor-filmmaker Randeep Hooda won the Best Debut Film of a Director award for Swatantrya Veer Savarkar, marking a significant milestone in his directorial journey.In the Hindi cinema category, Srikanth, directed by Tushar Hiranandani and starring Rajkummar Rao, Jyotika and Alaya F, was awarded Best Hindi Feature Film.The Best Film Critic (Hindi) award went to Sanjeev Shrivastava.
A year of acclaimed performances
The 2024 eligibility year saw several Indian films earn critical acclaim both domestically and internationally. Films such as All We Imagine As Light and Laapataa Ladies received global recognition, while performances by actors including Sai Pallavi (Amaran), Kani Kusruti (All We Imagine As Light, Girls Will Be Girls), Shraddha Kapoor (Stree 2), Alia Bhatt (Jigra) and Prithviraj Sukumaran (Aadujeevitham: The Goat Life) were widely appreciated during the awards season.
72nd National Film Awards: Major winners
Best Feature Film: Article 370Best Hindi Feature Film: SrikanthBest Actress: Yami Gautam (Article 370)Best Actor: Kartik Aaryan (Chandu Champion) and Mammootty (Bramayugam)Best Director: Rajkumar Periasamy (Amaran)Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment: Kalki: 2898 ADBest Debut Film of a Director: Randeep Hooda (Swatantrya Veer Savarkar)Best Film Critic (Hindi): Sanjeev Shrivastava Go to Source
