Published:Saturday, 18 July 2026 , at 7:25 pm| Dubai | Edited:Saturday, 18 July 2026 , at 7:29 pm
The highly anticipated winners of the prestigious National Award 2026 have been officially announced at the National Media Centre in New Delhi. Film enthusiasts can read this detailed article to know more about the top actors and movies that won big this year.
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72nd National Award 2026 Announced: Mammootty and Kartik Aaryan Share Best Actor Honour; Article 370 Wins Big
An introductory look into the 72nd edition of India’s most prestigious film honors.
The annual awards, presented by the Government of India, celebrate outstanding artistic and technical excellence across multiple languages. This year’s ceremony highlighted the massive diversity and growth of the Indian film industry.
Several movies from Bollywood and regional industries grabbed major honors. The biggest highlight of the event was the fierce competition in the acting category, drawing immense praise from movie lovers nationwide.
Mammootty and Kartik Aaryan Share Top Acting Honour
Details about the joint winners of the Best Actor award and other major acting titles.
In a thrilling announcement, Malayalam cinema icon Mammootty and Bollywood star Kartik Aaryan shared the top acting title. The Mammootty Bramayugam National Award win became a historic moment as fans celebrated his haunting performance in the black and white horror film.
Meanwhile, Kartik Aaryan bagged the trophy for his brilliant portrayal in Chandu Champion. The versatile Yami Gautam won the Best Actress trophy for her powerful performance in the political thriller Article 370.
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Technical and Regional Brilliance Shine Bright
A breakdown of the top directors, musicians, and regional films honored at the event.
The technical categories also witnessed remarkable wins, proving the high production standards of modern Indian cinema. Director Rajkumar Periasamy won the Best Direction award for the hit Tamil film Amaran.
The musical tracks and background scores received great recognition as well. Composer Shashwat Sachdev took home the Best Music Director award, while GV Prakash won the Best Background Music title.
Official National Film Awards Full List 2026
A comprehensive and clear tabular list showing all the prominent winners across categories.
Indian cinema fans can easily check out the official 72nd National Film Awards winners to see if their favorite stars won the prize. The core results are presented clearly below.
To give you a clear and transparent view, here is the official National Film Awards full list 2026
| Category | Winner | Movie / Language |
| Best Feature Film | Yami Gautam (Actress) | Article 370 Best Feature Film |
| Best Actor | Mammootty & Kartik Aaryan | Bramayugam & Chandu Champion |
| Best Actress | Yami Gautam | Article 370 |
| Best Director | Rajkumar Periasamy | Amaran (Tamil) |
| Best Supporting Actress | Ropashree Varkady & Sachana Namidass | Mithya (Kannada) & Maharaja (Tamil) |
| Best Supporting Actor | Sanjay Mishra | Bhakshak |
| Best Popular Film | Nag Ashwin (Director) | Kalki 2898 AD (Telugu) |
| Social & Environmental Values | Dhanush (Actor) | Captain Miller (Tamil) |
| Best Hindi Film | Rajkummar Rao (Actor) | Srikanth |
| Best Kannada Film | Sumanth Bhat (Director) | Mithya (Illusion) |
| Best Original Screenplay | Sukumar | Pushpa 2: The Rule |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Yogesh Deshpande | Swargandharva Sudhir Phadke |
| Best Dialogue Writer | Venky Atluri | Lucky Baskhar |
| Best Cinematography | Shehnad Jalal | Bramayugam |
| Best Costume Design | Deepali Noor & Sheetal Sharma | Pushpa 2: The Rule |
| Best Editing | R Kalaivannan | Amaran |
| Best Sound Design | Manas Choudhary | Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 |
| Best Choreography | Vijay Ganguly | Stree 2 |
| Best Music Direction | Shashwat Sachdev | Article 370 |
| Best Background Music | GV Prakash | Amaran |
| Best Lyrics | Manoj Muntashir | Maidaan |
| Best Male Playback Singer | Abhay Jodhpurkar | Gharat Ganpati |
| Best Children’s Film | Production Team | 35 Chinna Katha Kaadu |
| Best Debut Film of a Director | Randeep Hooda | Swatantrya Veer Savarkar |
| Best Action Direction | Anl Arasu | Maharaja |
| Best Make Up Artist | P Ravi Kumar | Committee Kurrollu |
We also saw wonderful joint wins in the Best Child Artist category. Young talents Riddhiman Banerjee, Tapomoy Deb, Gitashree Chakraborty, Arundev Pothula, and Athish S Shetty won the special award together.
Conclusion
The iconic National Award 2026 successfully celebrated outstanding cinematic achievements, bridging the gap between regional excellence and mainstream Indian cinema.
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FAQs
Who won the Best Actor award at the 72nd National Film Awards?
Mammootty won it for Bramayugam and Kartik Aaryan won it for Chandu Champion.
Which movie was named the Best Feature Film this year?
The Hindi political thriller film Article 370 won the prestigious Best Feature Film honor.
For which movie did Rajkumar Periasamy win the Best Director award?
He won the Best Direction award for the critically acclaimed Tamil film Amaran.
Who won the Best Screenplay (Original) award?
Director Sukumar won the Best Original Screenplay award for the mega hit movie Pushpa 2: The Rule.
Which film won the award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment?
Nag Ashwin’s Telugu sci-fi epic Kalki 2898 AD won the wholesome entertainment award.
