# 72nd National Film Awards held in Gujarat, winners announced

2026-09-22T07:04:04+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 3 independent outlets

President Droupadi Murmu presented the 72nd National Film Awards on September 22 at Ekta Nagar, Kevadia, Gujarat, marking the first time the ceremony was held outside Delhi. The event honoured 92 winners from films certified in 2024. 'Article 370' won Best Feature Film, with Yami Gautam named Best Actress. Mammootty and Kartik Aaryan shared Best Actor, and Rajkumar Periasamy won Best Direction for 'Amaran'. The Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2024 was conferred on veteran Kannada actor Anant Nag. The ceremony was streamed live on the DD National YouTube channel. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting plans to rotate future editions across states under the 'Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat' initiative.

## Indian Opinion Analysis

All three sources report the 72nd National Film Awards held in Gujarat as a factual event, with near-identical leads and details. The shift from Delhi, the 92 winners, and Anant Nag's Phalke award are uniformly covered. The ABP Live and Times of India stories note the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting's plan to rotate the ceremony under the 'Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat' initiative, while India TV's shorter report omits this. No source adopts a critical or pro-government stance, the coverage is straight wire-style reporting. The uniform framing makes the government's relocation narrative the uncontested lens through which the event is seen.

## Coverage

- news.abplive.com (neutral report) <https://news.abplive.com/entertainment/72nd-national-film-awards-2026-live-streaming-date-time-venue-winners-1867759>
  Led with event details, no framing beyond event reporting
- indiatvnews.com (neutral report) <https://www.indiatvnews.com/entertainment/news/national-film-awards-2026-live-details-when-and-where-to-watch-the-72nd-ceremony-from-gujarat-2026-09-22-1054897>
  Minimal copy, straight news without government narrative
- timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report) <https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/national-film-awards-2026-all-you-need-to-know-about-the-kevadia-gujarat-ceremony/articleshow/134403834.cms>
  Full coverage including government's Ek Bharat rationale, no critique

Tags: Anant Nag, Droupadi Murmu, Gujarat, National Film Awards, Statue of Unity
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