National Film Awards 2026: Article 370 wins Best Feature Film

The 72nd National Film Awards ceremony is being held today, 22 September 2026, at Ekta Nagar in Gujarat, near the Statue of Unity, with President Droupadi Murmu presenting the honours. The awards recognise films from 2024, and the major winners include Article 370, Yami Gautam, Mammootty, Kartik Aaryan and Kalki 2898 AD.

PIB, Times Now and NDTV have reported on the ceremony, which is notable not only for its winners but also for its location. The move to Ekta Nagar marks the first major shift of the National Film Awards ceremony away from Delhi.

Category	Winner
Best Feature Film	Article 370
Best Actress	Yami Gautam
Best Actor	Mammootty for Bramayugam and Kartik Aaryan for Chandu Champion
Best Popular Film	Kalki 2898 AD

National Film Awards 2026 winners at a glance

The headline film honour at the 72nd National Film Awards has gone to Article 370, which won Best Feature Film. The same title also has a major acting winner, with Yami Gautam receiving the Best Actress award.

The Best Actor honour is shared this year. Mammootty has been recognised for Bramayugam, while Kartik Aaryan has been awarded for Chandu Champion. The shared result puts two performances and two films together in one of the ceremony’s most closely watched categories.

Kalki 2898 AD has won Best Popular Film. Taken together, the main results cover several different titles rather than concentrating the major awards on a single film.

The awards being presented on 22 September 2026 are for films from 2024. That distinction is important for viewers following the ceremony, as the year of the event and the year of the films being honoured are different.

Article 370 wins Best Feature Film as Yami Gautam takes Best Actress

Article 370 has taken the top Best Feature Film honour at the ceremony, making it one of the central winners of the 72nd National Film Awards. Yami Gautam has also won Best Actress, giving the film representation in both the leading film category and a major individual acting category.

PIB, Times Now and NDTV have reported the key winners from the ceremony. The combination of Best Feature Film and Best Actress makes Article 370 especially prominent among the results announced from Ekta Nagar.

The available results do not provide further category details beyond the major winners listed here, so the clearest picture comes from the principal honours already confirmed. Article 370 leads with Best Feature Film, while Gautam has received the Best Actress award.

For readers following the National Film Awards primarily through the major categories, those two results are among the most significant announcements from the day’s ceremony.

Mammootty and Kartik Aaryan share Best Actor award

The Best Actor category has produced a shared result, with Mammootty receiving the honour for Bramayugam and Kartik Aaryan receiving it for Chandu Champion. Rather than naming a single winner, the 72nd National Film Awards have recognised both performances.

The result gives two different films a place in the leading actor category and makes the acting honours broader than a single-title sweep. While Yami Gautam has won Best Actress for Article 370, the Best Actor award is divided between Mammootty and Aaryan.

The shared award is one of the clearest points readers will need when checking the winners list, because neither Mammootty nor Kartik Aaryan is the sole Best Actor recipient. Both are winners of the category at this ceremony.

Mammootty’s award is specifically for Bramayugam, while Aaryan’s is for Chandu Champion. Those film associations are part of the confirmed results reported by PIB, Times Now and NDTV.

Kalki 2898 AD named Best Popular Film

Kalki 2898 AD has won the Best Popular Film award, adding another major title to the winners announced at the 72nd National Film Awards. Its victory sits alongside Article 370 taking Best Feature Film and the acting awards going to Gautam, Mammootty and Aaryan.

The distinction between Best Feature Film and Best Popular Film means two separate titles have received major film-level honours. Article 370 holds the Best Feature Film award, while Kalki 2898 AD has been recognised in the Best Popular Film category.

That split is useful for anyone scanning the results and trying to understand which film won which headline award. The two titles should not be treated as competing winners of the same category: they have been recognised under different awards.

As with the other major results, the awards relate to films from 2024 even though the ceremony itself is taking place in September 2026.

Why the Ekta Nagar venue is a major change for the National Film Awards

This year’s venue is one of the reasons the ceremony is attracting particular attention. The National Film Awards are being held at Ekta Nagar in Gujarat, near the Statue of Unity, rather than in Delhi.

According to the information reported by PIB, Times Now and NDTV, this is the first major shift of the ceremony away from Delhi. That makes the location part of the story rather than simply a background detail.

President Droupadi Murmu is presenting the awards at Ekta Nagar. The combination of a prestigious national ceremony, a new venue and a list of prominent film and acting winners has made the event a major point of attention today.

The change does not alter what the awards are recognising: the 72nd edition still honours films from 2024. What it changes is where one of Indian cinema’s most prominent award ceremonies is taking place, giving this edition a distinct identity compared with the usual Delhi setting.

What happens next at the 72nd National Film Awards

The ceremony is taking place today, 22 September 2026, with President Droupadi Murmu presenting the awards in Ekta Nagar. The main winners confirmed include Article 370 for Best Feature Film, Yami Gautam for Best Actress, Mammootty and Kartik Aaryan jointly for Best Actor, and Kalki 2898 AD for Best Popular Film.

For audiences following the event, the immediate focus remains on the presentation of honours and the significance of the Gujarat venue. The 72nd National Film Awards stand out both for their major winners and for the ceremony’s first major move away from Delhi.

Frequently asked questions

Who won Best Feature Film at the 72nd National Film Awards?

<em>Article 370</em> won Best Feature Film at the 72nd National Film Awards. The ceremony is being held on 22 September 2026 at Ekta Nagar in Gujarat, near the Statue of Unity, with President Droupadi Murmu presenting the awards.

Who won Best Actor at the National Film Awards 2026?

The Best Actor award was shared between Mammootty for <em>Bramayugam</em> and Kartik Aaryan for <em>Chandu Champion</em>. Both actors are winners of the category at the 72nd National Film Awards, which recognise films from 2024.

Who won Best Actress at the 72nd National Film Awards?

Yami Gautam won Best Actress at the 72nd National Film Awards. Her win accompanies <em>Article 370</em> receiving the Best Feature Film honour at the same ceremony.

Where are the 72nd National Film Awards being held?

The ceremony is being held at Ekta Nagar in Gujarat, near the Statue of Unity, on 22 September 2026. It marks the first major shift of the National Film Awards ceremony away from Delhi, with President Droupadi Murmu presenting the honours.