National Film Awards 2026: Full Winners List From The 72nd Edition
Kartik Aaryan and Mammootty share Best Actor, Yami Gautam wins Best Actress, and Article 370 is named Best Feature Film at the 72nd National Film Awards 2026. Full category-wise winners inside.
The 72nd National Film Awards 2026 were announced in New Delhi on Saturday, 18 July 2026, honouring the finest of Indian cinema certified between 1 January and 31 December 2024. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting revealed the complete list after an 11-member jury headed by Malayalam filmmaker Jayaraj finalised the winners.
Bollywood got two of its biggest headlines from the ceremony. Kartik Aaryan and Mammootty shared the Best Actor honour, Yami Gautam was named Best Actress for Article 370, and Article 370 itself picked up Best Feature Film. Randeep Hooda also walked away with a major honour, winning Best Debut Film of a Director for Swatantrya Veer Savarkar. Kalki 2898 AD won the Best Feature Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, while Captain Miller was recognised for Best Film Promoting National, Social Values.
Quick Answer: Who Won Big At The National Film Awards 2026?
- Best Feature Film: Article 370
- Best Actor: Kartik Aaryan & Mammootty (shared)
- Best Actress: Yami Gautam
- Best Director: Rajkumar Periasamy
- Best Debut Director: Randeep Hooda (Swatantrya Veer Savarkar)
- Best Hindi Film: Srikanth
- Best Supporting Actor: Sanjay Mishra
- Best Supporting Actress: Sachana Namidass & Ropashree Varkady
72nd National Film Awards 2026: Feature Film Winners
Here is the full category-wise winners table for the feature film section.
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Best Feature Film | Article 370 |
| Best Actor | Kartik Aaryan & Mammootty |
| Best Actress | Yami Gautam |
| Best Director | Rajkumar Periasamy |
| Best Debut Film of a Director | Randeep Hooda – Swatantrya Veer Savarkar |
| Best Supporting Actor | Sanjay Mishra |
| Best Supporting Actress | Sachana Namidass & Ropashree Varkady (shared) |
| Best Feature Film (Wholesome Entertainment) | Kalki 2898 AD |
| Best Film Promoting National, Social Values | Captain Miller |
| Best Child Artist | Riddhiman Banerjee, Tapomoy Deb, Gitashree Chakraborty, Arundev Pothula, Athish S Shetty |
| Best Cinematography | Shehnad Jalal |
| Best Screenplay | Sukumar |
| Best Script (Obur / Clouds) | Faraz Ali |
| Best Dialogue Writer | Venky Atluri |
| Best Production Design | Nitin Zihani Choudhary |
| Best Make-Up Artist | P Ravi Kumar |
| Best Costume Design | Deepali Noor & Sheetal Sharma |
| Best Music Direction (Songs) | Shashwat Sachdev |
| Best Music Direction (Background Score) | GV Prakash |
| Best Lyrics | Manoj Muntashir |
| Best Male Playback Singer | Abhay Jodhpurkar |
| Best Female Playback Singer | Vaikom Vijayalakshmi |
| Best Choreography | Vijay Ganguly |
| Best Sound Design | Manas Choudhury |
| Best Editing | R Kalaivannan |
| Best Action Direction | Anl Arasu |
Best Regional Film Winners
Regional cinema stayed at the heart of this year's honours. Feminichi Fathima, Raayan and Committee Kurrollu stood out from the south, while Srikanth took the top Hindi prize.
| Language | Winning Film |
|---|---|
| Hindi | Srikanth |
| Tamil | Raayan |
| Telugu | Committee Kurrollu |
| Malayalam | Feminichi Fathima |
| Kannada | Mithya |
| Marathi | Mukkam Post Bombilwadi |
| Bengali | Chalchitra Ekhon |
| Assamese | Juiphool |
| Odia | Lahari |
Non-Feature Film Winners
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Best Non-Feature Film | Bhangaar (Obsolete) |
| Best Debut Non-Feature Film of a Director | Angen (Invisible) – Santhali |
| Best Documentary | Ram Nami |
| Best Animation Film | Touched as Water |
| Best Short Film (up to 30 min) | Hamsafar |
| Best Arts/Culture Film | Main Nida |
| Best Biographical/Historical Film | Kakori |
| Best Film on Social/Environmental Values | Piplantri: A Tale of Eco Feminism |
| Best Direction (Non-Feature) | Aanand L Rai |
| Best Cinematography (Non-Feature) | Edmond Ranson |
| Best Sound Design (Non-Feature) | T S Hari Hara Sudhan |
| Best Editing (Non-Feature) | Manvir Jasrotia |
| Best Music Direction (Non-Feature) | Shivpal Singh Kang |
| Best Narrator/Voice Over | Soundarya Jayachandran |
Writing On Cinema
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Best Film Critic (Hindi) | Sanjeev Shrivastava |
| Best Book on Cinema | Naaniruvude Nimagaagi Naadiruvude Nanagaagi: Kannada Cinemada Thathva Matthu Rajakeeya by Kenchanuru Pradeep Kumar Shetty |
Special Mention
Dhanush received a Special Mention for his acting in Captain Miller.
The Big Takeaways
Three storylines stood out this year. First, Kartik Aaryan's first National Award landed at the same ceremony that gave Mammootty yet another one, and the shared trophy will be replayed for weeks. Second, Yami Gautam finally has the industry-topping recognition many argued was overdue after Article 370, OMG 2 and Bhoot Police. Third, the jury under Jayaraj clearly leaned into regional cinema, with Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu titles picking up craft awards well beyond their language categories.
For the wider industry, the win for Kalki 2898 AD in the Wholesome Entertainment category signals that India's biggest theatrical spectacles are now firmly on the National Awards radar. And the Best Feature Film going to Article 370 continues a pattern of politically charged, real-event dramas being rewarded at the top table.
FAQ
Who won Best Actor at the National Film Awards 2026?
Kartik Aaryan and Mammootty jointly won Best Actor at the 72nd National Film Awards.
Who won Best Actress?
Yami Gautam won Best Actress for her performance in Article 370.
Which film won Best Feature Film?
Article 370, directed by Aditya Suhas Jambhale, was named Best Feature Film.
Which film won Best Hindi Film?
Srikanth, starring Rajkummar Rao, was named Best Hindi Film.
Did Randeep Hooda win a National Award?
Yes. Randeep Hooda won Best Debut Film of a Director at the 72nd National Film Awards for Swatantrya Veer Savarkar.
When was the 72nd National Film Awards ceremony held?
The winners were announced on 18 July 2026 in New Delhi by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Sources: Economic Times, Indian Express.
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