# 72nd National Film Awards: Mammootty, Kartik Aaryan, Yami Gautam win top honours

2026-09-22T16:57:26+00:00 | Entertainment | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 4 independent outlets

The 72nd National Film Awards were presented by President Droupadi Murmu at a ceremony in Kevadia, Gujarat, on September 22, 2026. Mammootty won Best Actor for 'Bramayugam', Kartik Aaryan won Best Actor for 'Chandu Champion', and Yami Gautam Dhar won Best Actress for 'Article 370'. Dhanush received a Special Mention for 'Captain Miller' and also won Best Tamil Film for 'Raayan'. Among other winners, Sukumar won Best Original Screenplay for 'Pushpa: The Rule Part 2', GV Prakash Kumar won Best Music Direction for 'Amaran', and Venky Atluri won Best Dialogue for 'Lucky Baskhar'. The film 'Srikanth' was named Best Hindi Film, with producer Bhushan Kumar receiving the award. Veteran actor Anant Nag was honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. Technical awards included Best Production Design for 'Kalki 2898 AD' and Best Costume Design for 'Pushpa: The Rule Part 2'.

## Indian Opinion Analysis

All four sources delivered straight wire-style reporting of the 72nd National Film Awards, with no discernible pro-government or critical framing. The Times of India and Cinema Express provided factual winner lists, Bollywood Hungama focused on the 'Srikanth' win with producer quotes, and Hindustan Times ran a live blog of ceremony highlights. The uniformity suggests the awards themselves are uncontroversial. The key detail to track is whether the government continues to hold the ceremony outside Delhi, Kevadia hosted again, indicating a pattern of decentralisation that may draw attention in future years.

## Coverage

- timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report) <https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/72nd-national-film-awards-sukumar-gv-prakash-venky-atluri-niharika-konidela-and-other-winners-receive-honours-from-president-droupadi-murmu/articleshow/134412735.cms>
  Straight listing of winners with no editorial framing
- cinemaexpress.com (neutral report) <https://www.cinemaexpress.com/hindi/news/2026/Sep/22/72nd-national-film-awards-in-pictures>
  Photo gallery format, purely descriptive captions
- bollywoodhungama.com (neutral report) <https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/bollywood/srikanth-honoured-with-national-film-award-for-best-hindi-film-producer-bhushan-kumar-receives-prestigious-honour-from-president-droupadi-murmu/>
  Focuses on one film's win with producer quotes, no political slant
- hindustantimes.com (neutral report) <https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/72nd-national-film-awards-2026-live-updates-kartik-aryan-yami-gautam-mammootty-president-droupadi-murmur-101790061352035.html>
  Live updates style, factual reporting of events and reactions

Tags: 72nd National Film Awards, Droupadi Murmu, GV Prakash Kumar, Kartik Aaryan, Mammootty, Srikanth
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