President Droupadi Murmu will present the National Film Awards 2026. It will be presented on Tuesday, September 22, at Ekta Nagar in Kevadia, near the Statue of Unity in Gujarat. The ceremony will be streamed live on DD National's YouTube channel.
The 72nd National Film Awards will honour achievements in Indian cinema for 2024. A total of 92 winners will receive awards across different categories. Veteran Kannada actor Anant Nag will also receive the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2024.
| Details | Information |
| Event | 72nd National Film Awards Ceremony |
| Date | September 22, 2026 |
| Time | 3:00 PM IST |
| Venue | Ekta Nagar, Kevadia, Gujarat |
| Streaming Platform | DD National (YouTube) |
Viewers can watch the event online as the winners receive their awards.
How Are National Film Awards Different This Year?
This year's ceremony marks a change from the usual tradition of hosting the National Film Awards in Delhi.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has decided to take the ceremony to different parts of the country in future editions. Gujarat will host the first ceremony under this new approach.
The move has been described by the government as being in the spirit of 'Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat'.
Celebrating diversity across a wide range of languages, genres, and cinematic forms! 🎥🎞️
— Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (@MIB_India) September 22, 2026
Today, President Droupadi Murmu will confer the 72nd National Film Awards upon filmmakers, actors, technicians, and other artists from across the country, to celebrate their outstanding… pic.twitter.com/h7H9YUlFTD
ALSO READ - Who Is Anant Nag? Age, Movies, Career And All About Dadasaheb Phalke Award Winner
What To Expect At The 2026 Ceremony?
A large pandal with seating for around 1,000 people has been set up near the Statue of Unity. A separate air-conditioned dome is also being prepared for more than 1,000 VIP guests, according to an India Today report.
President Droupadi Murmu will attend the ceremony along with Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat and Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel.
Senior ministers and officials from the Gujarat and central governments are also expected to attend the event.
National Film Awards 2026 Winners List
| Category | Winner(s) | Film / Details |
| Best Feature Film | Article 370 | — |
| Best Actor | Kartik Aaryan Mammootty | Chandu Champion Bramayugam |
| Best Actress | Yami Gautam | Article 370 |
| Best Director | Rajkumar Periasamy | Amaran |
| Best Supporting Actress | Ropashree Varkady Sachana Namidass | Mithya Maharaja |
| Best Supporting Actor | Sanjay Mishra | Bhakshak |
| Best Debut Director | Randeep Hooda | Swatantrya Veer Savarkar |
| Best Feature Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment | Kalki 2898 AD | — |
| Best Film Promoting National, Social Values | Captain Miller | — |
| Best Children's Film | Chinna Katha Kaadu | — |
| Best Child Artist | Riddhiman Banerjee Tapomoy Deb Gitashree Chakraborty Arundev Pothula Athish S. Shetty | — |
| Best Screenplay | Sukumar Yogesh Deshpande | Pushpa 2 Swargandharva Sudhir Phadke |
| Best Dialogue Writer | Venky Atluri | Lucky Baskhar |
| Best Cinematography | Shehnad Jalaal | Bramayugam |
| Best Production Design | Nitin Zihani Choudhary | Kalki 2898 AD |
| Best Action Direction | Anl Arasu | Maharaja |
| Best Editing | R. Kalaivannan | Amaran |
| Best Sound Design | Manas Choudhary | Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 |
| Best Costume Design | Deepali Noor & Sheetal Sharma | Pushpa 2 |
| Best Make-Up Artist | P. Ravi Kumar | Committee Kurrollu |
| Best Music Direction (Songs) | Shashwat Sachdev | Article 370 |
| Best Music Direction (Background Score) | G. V. Prakash Kumar | Amaran |
| Best Lyrics | Manoj Muntashir | Maidaan |
| Best Male Playback Singer | Abhay Jodhpurkar | Gharat Ganpati ('Navasachi Gauri Mazi') |
| Best Female Playback Singer | Vaikom Vijayalakshmi | ARM ('Angu Vaana Konilu') |
| Best Choreography | Vijay Ganguly | Stree 2 |
The National Film Awards were instituted in 1954. They recognise achievements in feature films, non-feature films and writing on cinema. The awards cover movies and filmmaking across different Indian languages, regions and cinematic forms. The complete winners list includes honours across several categories at the 72nd edition.
FAQ
1. When and where to watch 72nd National Film Awards?
National Film Awards will be live streamed on Doordarshan's official YouTube channel on September 22, 2026.
2. Who won Best Actor and Best Actress?
Best Actor - Kartik Aaryan, Mammootty; Best Actress - Yami Gautam