The 72nd ceremony unfolds against the Statue of Unity at Ekta Nagar on Tuesday, with President Droupadi Murmu handing out honours across roughly 92 categories.
Seventy-two years of Vigyan Bhawan, and now it's over. The National Film Awards ceremony for 2026 is happening in Kevadia, Gujarat, at Ekta Nagar, with the Statue of Unity standing in as backdrop instead of the usual Delhi auditorium. President Droupadi Murmu is presenting the honours in person.
Sources differ slightly on the clock. The Hindu reported the event kicks off at 3 pm IST with red carpet arrivals from 2:30 pm, while DNA India put the ceremony's start at 4 pm. Either way, it's happening Tuesday, September 22, and it's streaming free, though outlets don't fully agree there either — The Hindu named the DD National YouTube channel, DNA pointed to PIB India and Doordarshan's channels. Check both if you don't want to miss the walk-in.
The bigger story is the venue itself. Information and Broadcasting minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has said the government now plans to rotate the ceremony across different parts of the country every year, rather than anchoring it permanently to the capital. The stated idea, per an official release, is to pull the celebration of Indian cinema closer to the regions actually making the films, instead of restricting it to one address in Delhi.
Anant Nag gets the Phalke
Veteran Kannada actor Anant Nag receives the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the industry's highest honour, for a career running past five decades and something like 300 films. He becomes only the second Kannada actor to get it, after Dr Rajkumar in 1995. From parallel cinema through Sandalwood mainstays to television, Nag's filmography is the kind that doesn't fit neatly into one bracket, and that's likely the point of the citation.
The films of 2024, honoured in 2026
These awards look back at features released in 2024. Article 370, starring Yami Gautam, takes Best Feature Film, and Gautam herself wins Best Actress for it. Bhangaar and Ram-Nami pick up the non-feature and documentary honours respectively.
Randeep Hooda gets Best Debut Director for Swatantrya Veer Savarkar, his biopic on Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. Rajkumar Periasamy wins Best Director for Amaran, the Dhanush-starrer war biographical. Srikanth, with Rajkummar Rao, is named Best Hindi Film, while Kannada film Mithya takes the equivalent regional honour. Kalki 2898 AD lands the Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment award, and Captain Miller is recognised for promoting national and social values. Pushpa: The Rule, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 and Stree 2 also collect honours across the roughly 92 categories on the list.
What happens next is really a question for 2027, which city gets the ceremony once Gujarat's turn is done, and whether the rotation plan survives contact with logistics on that scale.
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