The ceremony was dominated by real-life narratives, biographical dramas, and high-octane political thrillers, with Aditya Suhas Jambhale’s Article 370 capturing Best Feature Film and Rajkumar Periasamy taking home Best Director for the biographical war epic Amaran.
The Lead Acting Categories: A Cross-Generational Tie
The acting honors delivered the biggest headline of the afternoon, celebrating both established legends and rising talent:
The Joint Best Actor (Male) Honor: The jury declared a historic tie for Best Actor in a Leading Role, split between Kartik Aaryan for his grueling physical transformation as Paralympic gold medalist Murlikant Petkar in Chandu Champion and veteran Malayalam superstar Mammootty for his haunting, black-and-white performance in Bramayugam. The win marks Aaryan's career-first National Award and Mammootty's career-fourth.
Best Actor (Female): Yami Gautam captured her maiden National Film Award, winning Best Actress for her performance as intelligence officer Zooni Haksar in Article 370.
Supporting Category Standouts: Sanjay Mishra took home Best Supporting Actor for his powerful turn in Bhakshak, while Sachana Namidass (Maharaja) and Ropashree Varkady (Mithya) shared the Best Supporting Actress title.
Technical Excellence & Blockbuster Validation
While independent and mid-budget cinema swept the major performance tiers, high-yield box office blockbusters bagged crucial technical wins:
The Southern Dominance: Nag Ashwin's sci-fi spectacle Kalki 2898 AD won Best Feature Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment alongside Best Production Design (Nitin Zihani Choudhary). Sukumar picked up Best Original Screenplay for Pushpa 2: The Rule, while Arun Matheswaran's Captain Miller was recognized as Best Film Promoting National, Social and Environmental Values.
Directorial Debuts: Actor-filmmaker Randeep Hooda secured the National Award for Best Debut Director for his biographical drama Swatantrya Veer Savarkar.
Complete Feature Film Winners List
Award Category Winner(s) Film (Language) Best Feature Film Jio Studios & B62 Studios Article 370 (Hindi) Best Director Rajkumar Periasamy Amaran (Tamil) Best Actor in a Leading Role Kartik Aaryan & Mammootty Chandu Champion (Hindi) / Bramayugam (Malayalam) Best Actress in a Leading Role Yami Gautam Article 370 (Hindi) Best Supporting Actor Sanjay Mishra Bhakshak (Hindi) Best Supporting Actress Sachana Namidass & Ropashree Varkady Maharaja (Tamil) / Mithya (Kannada) Best Debut Director Randeep Hooda Swatantrya Veer Savarkar (Hindi) Wholesome Entertainment Nag Ashwin Kalki 2898 AD (Telugu) National/Social Values Arun Matheswaran Captain Miller (Tamil) Best Hindi Film T-Series & Chalk and Cheese Srikanth Best Tamil Film Sun Pictures Raayan Best Telugu Film Niharika Entertainment Committee Kurrollu Best Malayalam Film Urvashi Theatres Feminichi Fathima Best Original Screenplay Sukumar Pushpa 2: The Rule (Telugu) Best Music Direction (Songs) Shashwat Sachdev Article 370 (Hindi) Best Background Music GV Prakash Kumar Amaran (Tamil) Best Cinematography Shehnad Jalal Bramayugam (Malayalam)
Trade Verdict:
The 72nd National Film Awards balance commercial success with artistic integrity. Validating political thrillers like Article 370 alongside performance-heavy genre cinema like Bramayugam demonstrates a willingness to reward bold storytelling. The shared win for Kartik Aaryan and Mammootty bridges the gap between mainstream Hindi stardom and regional mastery, setting a high bar for upcoming award seasons across the country.
