National Film Awards 2026 Live Updates: Ceremony to begin soon; Anant Nag to be honoured with Dadasaheb Phalke Award

72nd National Film Awards Ceremony LIVE Updates: Mammootty, Kartik Aaryan, and Yami Gautam will also be honoured at the ceremony scheduled to be held in Ekta Nagar, Gujarat, today.

National Film Award 2026 Live Updates: In a major milestone, Gujarat’s Ekta Nagar in Narmada district is set to host the 72nd National Film Awards ceremony, marking a historic first. President Droupadi Murmu will confer the awards during the ceremony scheduled to begin at 3 pm on Tuesday, September 22, at the Statue of Unity in Ekta Nagar.

On the occasion, legendary Kannada actor Anant Nag will be honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India’s highest honour in the field of cinema. One of the country’s most celebrated film actors, Anant Nag has appeared in more than 300 movies over a remarkable career spanning five decades and has contributed immensely to Kannada and Indian cinema. Malayalam legend Mohanlal was the last recipient of the award.

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72nd National Film Awards 2026 | When and where to watch historic ceremony live from Gujarat

The 72nd National Film Awards, celebrating the best of Indian cinema in 2024, will also see Malayalam megastar Mammootty receive his fourth National Film Award for Best Actor for his performance in Bramayugam, tying him with Amitabh Bachchan as the most honoured in the category. Besides Mammootty, Kartik Aaryan was also named Best Actor this time for his performance in Chandu Champion.

While director Aditya Suhas Jambhale’s Article 370 was named Best Feature Film, Yami Gautam bagged the National Film Award for Best Actress for her performance in the same film. During the ceremony, Rajkumar Periasamy (Amaran) will receive the honour for Best Direction. Sanjay Mishra (Bhakshak), Sachana Namidass (Maharaja), and Ropashree Varkady (Mithya) were named the best supporting actors this time.

Arun Matheswaran’s Captain Miller was named the Best Film Promoting National, Social, and Environmental Values, while Randeep Hooda will receive the National Film Award for Best Debut Film of a Director for Swatantrya Veer Savarkar. Director Nag Ashwin’s Kalki 2898 AD bagged the Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment.

While Bhangaar was named Best Non-Feature Film, Aanand L Rai will receive the National Film Award for Best Direction (non-feature film) for Statue of Unity – Ekta ka Prateek. Ram-Nami was named Best Documentary.

“Future editions (of the ceremony) will travel beyond the national capital to different states and cities. The ceremony at Ekta Nagar will bring together cinematic talent from across India. It will embody the spirit of ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’,” a Press Information Bureau (PIB) release stated.

Live Updates
Sep 22, 2026 02:31 PM IST
National Film Awards 2026 Live Updates: 'Very grateful,' says Randeep Hooda

Randeep Hooda will receive the National Film Award for Best Debut Film of a Director for Swatantrya Veer Savarkar during today's event. He arrived in Gujarat on Monday. Talking to the media at the Vadodara Airport, he reportedly said, "This is my first National Award. I am very grateful to be a part of these awards."

Following the announcement of the awards in July, he said in a statement, "Being announced as the winner of the National Award for Best Debut Director for Swatantryaveer Savarkar is a moment I'm still trying to process. This film asked more of me than anything I've ever done. The journey of this film was filled with challenges at every juncture, but I'm glad we saw it through and overcame each of those. And despite that, somehow we kept finding the strength to move forward. As an actor, co-writer and first-time director, I gave this film everything I had because I felt an immense responsibility towards telling Veer Savarkar's story with sincerity and honesty."

Sep 22, 2026 02:28 PM IST
National Film Awards 2026 Live Updates: Kartik Aaryan shares updates from Ekta Nagar

Actor Kartik Aaryan reached Gujarat's Ekta Nagar on Monday, September 21, to take part in the 72nd National Film Awards ceremony, where he will receive his first National Film Award for Best Actor for his performance in Chandu Champion. During the day, he shared photos from his visit to the Statue of Unity.

Sep 22, 2026 02:07 PM IST
National Film Awards 2026 Live Updates: Mammootty to receive his record fourth award today

The National Film Awards 2026 ceremony, scheduled to begin soon, will see Mammootty receive his fourth National Film Award for Best Actor for his performance in director Rahul Sadasivan's Bramayugam (2024).

With this, Mammootty has become the most honoured in the category, tying him with Amitabh Bachchan.

Sep 22, 2026 01:50 PM IST
When and where to watch 72nd National Film Awards?

Gujarat's Ekta Nagar in Narmada district is set to host its first-ever National Film Awards ceremony. President Droupadi Murmu will confer the honours during the 72nd National Film Awards ceremony, scheduled to begin at 3 pm on Tuesday, September 22. Click here to learn where you can watch the ceremony live

Sep 22, 2026 01:43 PM IST
National Film Awards 2026 ceremony to begin soon

Hello and welcome to SCREEN!

The 72nd National Film Awards ceremony, celebrating the best of Indian cinema in 2024, is all set to begin soon. Stay tuned for the latest updates from the ceremony.

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