National Film Awards 2026: Yami Gautam, Kartik Aaryan and Mammootty Shine; Pushpa 2 and Article 370 Win Big.

 

National Film Awards 2026: Indian Cinema Celebrates Its Biggest Honours

The 72nd National Film Awards celebrated outstanding achievements in Indian cinema, bringing together some of the country's biggest stars, filmmakers and technicians.

Among the major names recognised at the awards were Yami Gautam, Kartik Aaryan and Mammootty, while films such as Article 370, Pushpa: The Rule Part-02, Amaran and Kalki 2898 AD also received major honours.

The National Film Awards recognise excellence across India's diverse film industries, covering acting, direction, screenplay, music, cinematography and several technical categories.

Yami Gautam Wins Best Actress for Article 370

One of the biggest highlights of the National Film Awards 2026 was Yami Gautam winning the Best Actress award for her performance in Article 370.

The film also won the prestigious Best Feature Film award, making it one of the most successful films at the 72nd National Film Awards.

Yami's performance was widely recognised as one of the central strengths of the film, which focuses on events surrounding the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.

Kartik Aaryan Wins Best Actor for Chandu Champion

Kartik Aaryan received the Best Actor award for his performance in Chandu Champion.

The actor portrayed Murlikant Petkar, India's first Paralympic gold medallist, in the sports biographical drama.

The role required Aaryan to undergo a significant physical transformation and prepare for the character's sporting background.

The National Award marks a major milestone in Aaryan's acting career.

Mammootty Also Honoured as Best Actor

Malayalam cinema legend Mammootty shared the Best Actor honour with Kartik Aaryan.

Mammootty was recognised for his performance in the Malayalam film Bramayugam, a period horror film directed by Rahul Sadasivan.

The film was also recognised in technical categories, further underlining its impact at the National Film Awards.

Pushpa 2 Gets National Film Award Recognition

The blockbuster Pushpa: The Rule Part-02, starring Allu Arjun, also made its mark at the 72nd National Film Awards.

The film received the Best Screenplay (Original) award for writer-director Sukumar.

Pushpa 2 was one of the biggest commercial successes of Indian cinema and its National Award recognition added another achievement to the franchise's record.

The award also highlighted the importance of screenplay and storytelling behind large-scale commercial cinema.

Amaran Wins Best Director

Rajkumar Periasamy won the Best Director award for the Tamil film Amaran.

Starring Sivakarthikeyan and Sai Pallavi, the film tells the story of Indian Army officer Major Mukund Varadarajan.

Amaran also received recognition for its music, with G. V. Prakash Kumar winning the award for Best Music Direction – Background Music.

Kalki 2898 AD Wins Popular Film Award

Nag Ashwin's science-fiction epic Kalki 2898 AD was recognised with the award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment.

The film features a major ensemble cast including Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone and Kamal Haasan.

Its recognition at the National Film Awards reflects the growing scale and ambition of Indian science-fiction and visual-effects-driven cinema.

Anant Nag Receives Dadasaheb Phalke Award

Veteran Kannada actor Anant Nag received the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2024.

The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India's highest cinema honour and recognises outstanding contributions to Indian filmmaking.

Anant Nag has had a career spanning several decades and has worked extensively in Kannada cinema, while also appearing in films across other Indian languages.

Randeep Hooda Honoured for Directorial Debut

Actor Randeep Hooda received the award for Best Debut Film of a Director for Swatantrya Veer Savarkar.

Hooda directed and starred in the historical biographical film, marking his debut as a director.

The award recognised his work behind the camera as well as his involvement in bringing the story to the screen.

Sanjay Mishra Wins Best Supporting Actor

Veteran actor Sanjay Mishra won the Best Supporting Actor award for his performance in Bhakshak.

The film also featured Bhumi Pednekar in the lead role and dealt with a serious social issue.

In the Best Supporting Actress category, Sachana Namidass for Maharaja and Ropashree Varkady for Mithya shared the honour.

Major National Film Awards 2026 Winners

Award Category	Winner	Film
Best Feature Film	Article 370	Article 370
Best Director	Rajkumar Periasamy	Amaran
Best Actor	Kartik Aaryan	Chandu Champion
Best Actor	Mammootty	Bramayugam
Best Actress	Yami Gautam	Article 370
Best Supporting Actor	Sanjay Mishra	Bhakshak
Best Supporting Actress	Sachana Namidass	Maharaja
Best Supporting Actress	Ropashree Varkady	Mithya
Best Debut Film of a Director	Randeep Hooda	Swatantrya Veer Savarkar
Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment	Kalki 2898 AD	Kalki 2898 AD
Best Screenplay (Original)	Sukumar	Pushpa 2
Best Music Direction – Songs	Shashwat Sachdev	Article 370
Best Music Direction – Background Music	G. V. Prakash Kumar	Amaran
Best Cinematography	Shehnad Jalal	Bramayugam

National Film Awards 2026 Ceremony

The 72nd National Film Awards ceremony was held at Ekta Nagar in Gujarat.

The ceremony brought together leading personalities from across India's film industries and highlighted the country's multilingual and diverse cinematic traditions.

The event also honoured filmmakers and technicians whose contributions often remain behind the spotlight but play a crucial role in creating successful films.

Why the 2026 National Film Awards Are Important

The 72nd National Film Awards highlighted the changing landscape of Indian cinema.

While major commercial productions such as Pushpa 2 and Kalki 2898 AD received recognition, films such as Article 370, Amaran and Bramayugam also earned honours across important categories.

The awards also demonstrated the continuing importance of regional cinema, with talent from Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and other language industries receiving national recognition.

From Yami Gautam and Kartik Aaryan's acting honours to Mammootty's continued recognition, Rajkumar Periasamy's direction award and Anant Nag's Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the ceremony brought together several generations of Indian cinema.

National Film Awards 2026: Key Takeaways

• Yami Gautam won Best Actress for Article 370.
• Kartik Aaryan won Best Actor for Chandu Champion.
• Mammootty shared the Best Actor honour for Bramayugam.
• Article 370 won Best Feature Film.
• Sukumar won Best Screenplay for Pushpa 2.
• Rajkumar Periasamy won Best Director for Amaran.
• Kalki 2898 AD won Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment.
• Randeep Hooda won Best Debut Film of a Director for Swatantrya Veer Savarkar.
• Anant Nag received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award.