The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting officially opened the 72nd National Film Awards this evening after an almost two-week delay that caused moviegoers all around the nation to check their phones a bit too frequently. The wait proved to be worthwhile. There is something for every aspect of the nation's film industry on this year's list, from a Bollywood political drama winning the top prize to a Malayalam horror-folklore film finally receiving its due.
The winners, decided by an 11-member jury chaired by veteran filmmaker Jayaraj, honour the best of Indian cinema certified for release in 2024 — a year that, going by tonight's results, was stacked.
Topping the marquee is Article 370, the Hindi-language political drama built around the events surrounding the abrogation of the constitutional provision in 2019. The film's win as Best Feature Film caps a strong run for the project, which also delivered the night's Best Actress award.
If there was one name on everyone's lips heading into tonight, it was Mammootty's. The Malayalam icon shares the Best Actor trophy with Bollywood's Kartik Aaryan, who was recognised for his transformation in the sports biopic Chandu Champion. Mammootty's award comes for his unsettling, career-redefining turn as the sinister Kodumon Potti in Rahul Sadasivan's folk-horror hit Bramayugam.
This is Mammootty's fourth National Film Award for Best Actor, which puts him in a very select group of actors in Indian cinema, so it's more than simply another trophy for the cabinet. Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha and Mathilukal (1989), Vidheyan and Ponthan Mada (1994), and Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar (2000), in which he played the principal architect of the Constitution, were his previous victories.
There's a nice bit of poetic justice attached to this one, too. Bramayugam had walked away empty-handed at the previous edition of the National Awards despite widespread critical acclaim, a snub that stung fans and drew plenty of chatter at the time. The film has since found validation elsewhere, including a rare screening slot at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles — the only Indian film selected for that particular series. Tonight, it finally got its moment on home turf too.
Yami Gautam, who wins Best Actress for her role as the movie's lead, shares the limelight from Article 370. It solidifies the movie's status as one of the best performances of the evening and is the greatest solo acting honour of her career to date.
Veteran character actor Sanjay Mishra received acclaim for his role in Bhakshak in the supporting categories. This victory is largely regarded as a national honour for one of the most dependable and underappreciated actors in Hindi film.
Anjan Dutt, a musician, actor, and filmmaker, won another National Film Award following a 14-year hiatus. Anjan's 2024 film Chaalchitra Ekhon, a tribute to the renowned director Mrinal Sen, got the Best Bengali Film Award. Anjan received two honours for his film Ranjana Ami Ar Ashbona at the 59th National Film Awards in 2012: the Special Jury Award and the Best Bengali Feature Film Award.
Reflecting the sheer scale of what 2024 delivered at the box office, Kalki 2898 AD picked up the award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, the category reserved for films that combine mass appeal with technical merit. The Telugu sci-fi epic beat out a genuinely stacked field of commercial heavyweights that were reportedly in the conversation this year, including Pushpa 2, Devara: Part 1, Lucky Baskhar and Hanu Man.
The ceremony also recognised achievements in writing on cinema and non-feature filmmaking:
Best Book on Cinema: Kenchanuru Pradeep Kumar Shetty for his Kannada-language work examining the political and philosophical dimensions of Kannada cinema.
Best Film Critic: Sanjeev Srivastava.
Non-Feature Best Direction: Anand L. Rai, for Statue of Unity: Ekta Ka Prateek.
Non-Feature Best Music Direction: Shivpal Singh Kang, for Parat 41°chya Magavar (On the Trail of 41°).
Non-Feature Best Editing: Manvir Jasrotia, for NDA.
Non-Feature Best Script: Faraz Ali, for Obur (Clouds).
Non-Feature Best Narrator: Soundarya Jayachandran, for Little Planet: A Tale of Frogs.
Special Mentions: Chola Dora aur Sui, directed by Jaymin Modi and Lokesh Ghai, and Bhadra-Kali Natakam, directed by Ananda Jyothi.
With close to 160 films across two dozen languages reportedly in the running this year, the jury had no shortage of options. Beyond tonight's winners, films like All We Imagine As Light, Laapataa Ladies, Amaran, Meiyazhagan, Manjummel Boys and Kishkindha Kaandam were all part of a conversation that made 2024 feel like one of the more competitive years for Indian cinema in recent memory.
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