The 72nd National Film Awards have been announced, celebrating the finest achievements in Indian cinema across languages and categories. Honouring films released in 2024, this year’s awards recognized a diverse mix of commercial blockbusters and critically acclaimed films, with Mammootty and Kartik Aaryan sharing the Best Actor award, Yami Gautam winning Best Actress, and Rajkumar Periasamy taking home Best Director for Amaran.
Telugu Cinema’s Remarkable Showing
Tollywood had a strong presence at the 72nd National Film Awards, with multiple Telugu films winning major honours. Committee Kurrollu was named Best Telugu Film, while blockbuster Pushpa 2: The Rule won awards for Best Screenplay (Sukumar) and Best Costume Design. Visual spectacle Kalki 2898 AD received the Best Popular Film award along with Best Production Design, and Lucky Baskhar earned Best Dialogue Writer for Venky Atluri. Family drama 35 Chinna Katha Kaadu was honoured as Best Children’s Film.
Complete List of Winners
| Category | Winner | Film |
|---|---|---|
| Best Actor (Shared) | Mammootty | Bramayugam |
| Best Actor (Shared) | Kartik Aaryan | Chandu Champion |
| Best Actress | Yami Gautam | Article 370 |
| Best Director | Rajkumar Periasamy | Amaran |
| Best Editing | Kalaivanan | Amaran |
| Best Popular Film | — | Kalki 2898 AD |
| Best Screenplay | Sukumar | Pushpa 2: The Rule |
| Best Production Design | Nithin Zihani Choudhary | Kalki 2898 AD |
| Best Dialogue Writer | Venky Atluri | Lucky Baskhar |
| Best Costume Design | Deepali Noor & Sheetal Sharma | Pushpa 2: The Rule |
| Best Music Director | G. V. Prakash Kumar | Amaran |
| Best Children’s Film | — | 35 Chinna Katha Kaadu |
| Best Telugu Film | — | Committee Kurrollu |
| Best Tamil Film | — | Raayan |
| Best Malayalam Film | — | Feminichi Fathima |
| Best Hindi Film | — | Srikanth |
Notable Highlights and Milestones
The shared Best Actor award between Mammootty for the Malayalam supernatural thriller Bramayugam and Kartik Aaryan for the Hindi sports biopic Chandu Champion marks a recognition of diverse storytelling and powerful performances. Tamil film Amaran, a biographical drama, emerged as a major winner with three awards including Best Director, Best Editing, and Best Music Director.
The recognition of films like Committee Kurrollu, a small-budget Telugu ensemble drama, alongside big-budget spectacles like Kalki 2898 AD and Pushpa 2, reflects the National Film Awards’ commitment to honouring both artistic merit and technical excellence across budget ranges.
The 72nd National Film Awards showcased the rich diversity of Indian cinema, honouring films that excelled in storytelling, technical brilliance and artistic vision. From blockbuster entertainers to content-driven films, this year’s winners reflect the growing strength of regional cinema alongside mainstream commercial success.
