72nd National Film Awards 2026: Mammootty bags fourth National Award with 'Bramayugam'; Article 370 'best feature film'
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Yami Gautam wins 'Best Actress in a Leading Role' for 'Article 370'; Kartik Aaryan earns his debut National Film Award for 'Chandu Champion'
Updated - July 18, 2026 09:01 pm IST
Mammootty in ‘Bramayugam’. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
The 72nd National Film Awards were announced on Saturday (July 18, 2026), with the winners recognising excellence in feature films, non-feature films and writing on cinema across Indian languages. The awards honour films that received certification from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) during the 2024 calendar year.
Read ‘Bramayugam’ review: Mammootty’s performance elevates this middling film on the evils of unrestricted power
The acclaimed Tamil slice-of-life drama ‘Meiyazhagan’ gets a special mention for sound mixing. Yami Gautam, who acted in ‘Article 370’, was named the ‘Best Actress in a Leading Role’ while Malayalam superstar Mammootty and Kartik Aaryan shared the Best Actor award for their lead roles in ‘Bramayugam’ (Malayalam) and ‘Chandu Champion’ (Hindi) respectively.
‘Article 370’ movie review: Yami Gautam steers this explainer on the government’s Kashmir policy
Announcing the awards, chairman of the central jury Jayaraj said the Telugu movie “Kalki 2898 AD” bagged the trophy for best popular film for wholesome entertainment.
The evening saw actor-director Dhanush’s film Raayanwin the Best Tamil Film award. Amaran, one of the biggest hits of 2024, bagged multiple awards at the 72nd National Film Awards. Unfortunately, Tamil films that were expected to perform well at the National Awards, like Meiyazhagan, Vaazhai, Kottukkaali, Thangalaan, and Maharaja, failed to bag the top awards.
MammoottyKampany is Mollywood star Mammootty’s film production company.
G.V. Prakash won the ‘Best Music Director’ award for ‘Amaran’
Shaswat Sachdeva won the National Film Award for Best Music Director for ‘Article 370’, the political action-thriller starring Yami Gautam and produced by Aditya Dhar. The film’s music blended heavy electronic synths with traditional Kashmiri folk elements.
Who is Major Mukund Varadarajan? The real-life hero behind Sivakarthikeyan’s ‘Amaran’
Who is Major Mukund Varadharajan: Amaran, a Tamil biopic on Major Mukund Varadharajan, showcases his bravery and sacrifice in the Indian Army.
The Allu Arjun starrer ‘Pushpa 2’, directed by Sukumar, won two awards. Deepali Noor & Sheetal Sharma won the Best Costume Designer Award, and Sukumar was adjudged the winner in the Best Screenplay section.
‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’ movie review: Barring the ‘jatara’ sequence featuring a superb Allu Arjun and a few face-offs, director Sukumar’s film is incoherent
‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’ movie review: Barring the ‘jatara’ sequence featuring a superb Allu Arjun and a few face-offs, director Sukumar’s film also starring Rashmika Mandanna and Fahadh Faasil is incoherent.
The movie’s star-studded cast includes Amitabh Bachchan, Prabhas, Deepika Padukone, Kamal Haasan and Disha Patani. The mythological sci-fi actioner is directed by Nag Ashwin and its sequel is currently in works.
‘Kalki 2898 AD’ movie review: Prabhas and Amitabh Bachchan shine in a visually stunning drama
Kalki 2898 AD movie review: Nag Ashwin’s film blends Mahabharata with futuristic sci-fi, featuring Amitabh Bachchan, Prabhas, Deepika Padukone and Kamal Haasan
The biographical-drama ‘Swatantrya Veer Savarkar’, tells the story of Hindutva idealogue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, exploring his early revolutionary activities and the torture he faced at the cellular jail. The film marks Hooda’s directorial debut, who also plays the titular role.
The Sivakarthikeyan and Sai Pallavi starrer told the story of real-life hero Major Mukund Varadarajan, an officer in the Indian Army’s Rajput Regiment. He is remembered as a fearless leader who prioritised his team’s safety and well being.
‘Amaran’ movie review: Sivakarthikeyan and Sai Pallavi march into our hearts with this soul-stirring action film
‘Amaran’ movie review: A pacy screenplay, marvellous performances and excellent technical prowess make Sivakarthikeyan’s ‘Amaran’ a brilliant ode to the resilient families who love their bravehearts
Kartik Aaryan won his debut National Film Award for his performance in Kabir Khan’s biographical sports-drama, Chandu Champion. The film is based on the life of Murlikant Petkar, a former freestyle swimmer and India’s first Paralympic gold medalist. Kartik shared the award with Mamootty, who won it for the Malayalam film, Bramayugam.
