Ekta Nagar, September 21, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
President Droupadi Murmu will present the 72nd National Film Awards at Ekta Nagar in Gujarat on Tuesday, September 22, marking the first time the prestigious ceremony will be held outside the national capital.
The move is part of the Centre’s decision to take the National Film Awards ceremony to different parts of the country, with the aim of bringing the celebration of Indian cinema closer to different regions.
The awards will recognise achievements in Indian cinema for the 2024 film year.
Veteran Kannada actor Anant Nag will receive the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2024 in recognition of his contribution to Indian cinema and a career spanning more than five decades. The award was announced earlier this month on the recommendation of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award Selection Committee.
Instituted in 1954, the National Film Awards honour excellence in feature films, non-feature films and writing on cinema, covering filmmaking across India’s languages, regions and cinematic forms.
Among the major honours for the 2024 film year, Article 370 has been selected as the Best Feature Film, while Bhangaar has won Best Non-Feature Film and Ram-Nami has been named Best Documentary.
Mammootty and Kartik Aaryan will share the Best Actor in a Leading Role award for Bramayugam and Chandu Champion, respectively. Yami Gautam has been selected as Best Actress in a Leading Role for Article 370.
Randeep Hooda will receive the Best Debut Film of a Director award for Swatantrya Veer Savarkar.
Kalki 2898 AD has won the award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, while Amaran has received the Best Direction award for director Rajkumar Periasamy.
Captain Miller has been recognised as the Best Feature Film Promoting National, Social and Environmental Values. Other films receiving honours in different categories include Pushpa: The Rule Part-02, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 and Stree 2.
The awards also cover films in languages including Marathi, Santhali, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, Tulu and Garhwali.
According to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, a Santhali film will be honoured in the Non-Feature Film section for the first time in the history of the National Film Awards.
The ceremony is being held at Ekta Nagar, formerly known as Kevadia, as part of the ministry’s decision to organise future National Film Awards ceremonies in different states and cities instead of restricting them to Delhi.
The ministry said the initiative would help highlight India’s linguistic, cultural and cinematic diversity and bring the celebration of Indian cinema closer to audiences across the country.
The 72nd edition will thus combine recognition of the 2024 crop of films with a change in the setting of one of India’s leading cinema award ceremonies, with filmmakers, actors, technicians and other members of the film fraternity expected to gather in Gujarat on Tuesday.
FOLLOW NOW
