For 72 years, this ceremony has belonged to Delhi. That changes on September 22, when President Droupadi Murmu presents the National Film Awards at Ekta Nagar, near the Statue of Unity in Gujarat's Narmada district, officials said Monday.

It's a bigger deal than it sounds. Vigyan Bhawan has hosted the event for most of its run since the awards began in 1954, and the government hasn't spelled out publicly why it's moving this year. The News Minute flagged one exception worth remembering: the 17th National Film Awards were held in Madras, now Chennai, back in November 1970, per Indian Express reporting. So this isn't unprecedented. It's just the first time in a very long while.

There's an obvious local wrinkle too. Filmmaker Aanand L Rai picked up the Best Direction (Non-Feature) award this year for a documentary called Statue of Unity–Ekta ka Prateek, about the very monument the ceremony will now be staged beside. Whether that's coincidence or design, nobody in government has said. The timing also sits alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent push urging Gujarat's Patidar community to hold destination weddings at the Statue of Unity instead of flying abroad. Draw your own line between the two, if you're drawing one at all.

What isn't in doubt is who's collecting trophies. Article 370 was named Best Feature Film when the winners were announced back in July, and its lead Yami Gautam took Best Actress. Mammootty and Kartik Aaryan share Best Actor, for Bramayugam and Chandu Champion respectively, an unusual split-decision that got its own round of chatter when the list dropped. Randeep Hooda, stepping behind the camera for the first time with Swatantrya Veer Savarkar, won Best Debut Director. Nag Ashwin's Kalki 2898 AD picks up Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, and Dhanush's Captain Miller was named Best Feature Film Promoting National, Social and Environmental Values. Bhangaar took Best Non-Feature Film, Ram-Nami won Best Documentary, and titles including Amaran, Pushpa: The Rule Part-02 and Stree 2 picked up honours across other categories.

Logistically, this is not a small ask. The Narmada district administration says a temporary venue is going up in the bus bay area of the Statue of Unity complex, complete with a German aluminium dome, seating and the works. Close to a thousand guests are expected, award winners and dignitaries among them, and the ceremony itself is expected to run about 75 minutes. With the President attending, security and protocol planning is already underway.

For Ekta Nagar, formerly Kevadia, hosting 92 winners and a national broadcast is the kind of visibility the district administration says it's been chasing. Whether Delhi gets the ceremony back next year, or whether this becomes the new normal, is a question nobody's answering yet.