‘Article 370’ takes top feature film honors while Mammootty, Kartik Aaryan, and Yami Gautam sweep the primary acting categories
NEW DELHI – July 18, 2026:The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting today unveiled the definitive winners list for the 72nd National Film Awards, highlighting an incredibly diverse and highly competitive cross-regional cinematic landscape. Evaluating films certified by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) between January 1 and December 3, 2024, the 11-member grand jury led by acclaimed filmmaker Jayaraj finalized honors across feature, non-feature, and technical writing categories.
The primary feature division saw Article 370 emerge as the evening’s biggest winner, capturing the coveted title of Best Feature Film. The political thriller also secured the Best Actress in a Leading Role award for Yami Gautam and Best Music Direction (Songs) for Shashwat Sachdev.
In the highly anticipated leading actor category, the national jury opted for a historic split decision. Megastar Mammootty won his fourth National Award for his performance in the monochrome horror-drama Bhramayugam, sharing the top honor with Bollywood star Kartik Aaryan for his transformative physical performance in the sports biopic Chandu Champion.
72nd National Film Awards: Complete Feature Film Winners
Apex Tiers & Performance Category
- Best Feature Film: Article 370 (Directed by Aditya Suhas Jambhale)
- Best Direction: Rajkumar Periasamy (Amaran)
- Best Actor in a Leading Role: Kartik Aaryan (Chandu Champion) & Mammootty (Bhramayugam)
- Best Actress in a Leading Role: Yami Gautam (Article 370)
- Best Supporting Actor: Sanjay Mishra (Bhakshak)
- Best Supporting Actress: Sachana Namidass (Maharaja) & Rapshree Varkady (Mithya)
- Best Debut Film of a Director: Randeep Hooda (Swatantrya Veer Savarkar)
- Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment: Kalki: 2898 AD (Directed by Nag Ashwin)
- Best Feature Film Promoting National, Social and Environmental Values: Captain Miller (Starring Dhanush)
- Best Children’s Film: Chinna Katha Kaadu
- Best Child Artist: Jointly awarded to Riddhiman Banerjee, Tapomoy Deb, Gitashree Chakraborty, Arundev Pothula, and Athish S. Shetty
Music, Screenplay & Writing Category
- Best Male Playback Singer: Abhay Jodhpurkar (Song: “Gharat Ganpati” from Navasachi Gauri Mazi)
- Best Female Playback Singer: Vaikom Vijayalakshmi (Song: “Angu Vaana Konilu” from ARM)
- Best Screenplay (Original): Sukumar (Pushpa: The Rule)
- Best Screenplay (Adapted): Yogesh Deshpande (Swargandharva Sudhir Phadke)
- Best Screenplay Dialogue: Venky Atluri (Lucky Bhaskhar)
- Best Lyrics: Manoj Muntashir (Song: “Jaane Do” from Maidaan)
Technical Production Category
- Best Cinematography: Shehnad Jalal (Bhramayugam)
- Best Editing: R. Kalaivannan (Amaran)
- Best Production Designer: Nitin Zihani Choudhary (Kalki: 2898 AD)
- Best Music Direction (Score): G.V. Prakash Kumar (Amaran)
- Best Music Direction (Songs): Shashwat Sachdev (Article 370)
- Best Action Direction: Anal Arasu (Maharaja)
- Best Costume Designer: Deepali Noor and Sheetal Sharma (Pushpa: The Rule – Part 2)
- Best Sound Design: Manas Choudhary (Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3)
- Best Choreography: Vijay Ganguly (Stree 2)
- Best Make Up Artist: P. Ravi Kumar (Committee Kurrollu)
Regional Language Tiers
The regional language categories emphasized a balanced distribution of creative honors spanning major language film sectors across the subcontinent:
| Language | Winning Film Title | Director / Production |
| Malayalam | Feminichi Fathima | Fasil Muhammed |
| Tamil | Raayan | Dhanush |
| Telugu | Committee Kurrollu | Yadhu Vamsee |
| Hindi | Srikanth | T-Series / Chalk and Cheese Films |
| Kannada | Mithya | Sumanth Bhat |
| Bengali | Chalchitra Ekhon | Anjan Dutt |
| Marathi | Mukkam Post Bombilwadi | Paresh Mokashi |
| Gujarati | Maaran | Abhishek Jain |
| Assamese | Juiphool | Jadumoni Dutta |
| Odia | Lahari | Amartya Bhattacharyya |
| Konkani | Mog Asum | Independent Production |
| Manipuri | Sunita | Yumnam Ajit Singh |
| Garhwali | Dholi | Dinesh P. Bhonsle |
| Tulu | IMBU | Shivdhwaj Studio |
Non-Feature Category & Special Mentions
The non-feature selections saw national veterans stepping into documentary domains, accompanied by critical special citations for artistic excellence.
- Best Non-Feature Film Promoting Social and Environmental Values: Piplantri: A Tale of Eco Feminism (Produced by Suraj Kumar)
- Best Direction (Non-Feature): Aanand L. Rai (Statue of Unity: Ekta Ka Prateek)
- Best Animation Film: Touched as Water (Directed by Joshy Benedict)
- Best Short Film: Hamsafar
- Best Script (Non-Feature): Obur (Clouds) by Faraz Ali
- Best Cinematography (Non-Feature): Edmond Ranson (Life in Loom)
- Best Sound Design (Non-Feature): T.S. Hari Hara Sudhan (Blue)
- Best Editing (Non-Feature): Manvir Jasrotia (NDA)
- Best Music Direction (Non-Feature): Shivpal Singh Kang (Parat 41°chya Magavar)
- Best Narrator: Soundarya Jayachandran (Little Planet: A Tale of Frogs)
Jury Special Mentions
The central evaluation panel issued four critical special citations for singular cinematic and traditional performances:
Bhadra-Kali Natakam — Traditional narrative design curated by Ananda Jyothi.
Dhanush — High-contrast dramatic portrayal in Captain Miller.
Meiyazhagan — Curation of human-interest emotional architecture.
Chola Dora aur Sui — Crafted by textile design leads Jaymin Modi and Lokesh Ghai.
