R. ARIVANANTHAM
The 72nd National Film Awards have once again demonstrated that the heartbeat of Indian cinema lies in its regional industries. While Hindi cinema celebrated stellar victories, it was Kollywood and Dhollywood that emerged as powerful symbols of storytelling excellence, proving that films rooted in local culture, language and emotion can command national acclaim. Tamil cinema produced one of its finest performances in recent years with a rich haul of honours across artistic and technical categories, while Gujarati cinema added another proud chapter to its growing success story as Abhishek Jain’s “Maaran” was crowned Best Gujarati Film.
- From Dhanush’s directorial triumph to Abhishek Jain’s ‘Maaran’, regional storytelling steals the national spotlight
- Tamil cinema dominates with major honours for Raayan, Amaran, Captain Miller and Maharaja as Gujarati cinema celebrates another landmark National Award
- Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu and Gujarat hail filmmakers for taking regional cinema to new creative heights and enriching India’s cultural landscape
- Mammootty, Kartik Aaryan, Yami Gautam and Randeep Hooda headline a memorable edition celebrating artistic excellence across Indian cinema
- 72nd National Film Awards reaffirm that authentic regional narratives are now shaping the future of Indian cinema
The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting on Saturday announced the winners of the 72nd National Film Awards for 2024, honouring outstanding achievements in feature films, non-feature films and film writing. The awards recognised excellence across India’s diverse cinematic landscape, reaffirming the growing influence of regional cinema.
Among the biggest winners, “Article 370” bagged the coveted Best Feature Film award, while Yami Gautam won Best Actress for her commanding performance in the film. Mammootty (Bramayugam) and Kartik Aaryan (Chandu Champion) shared the Best Actor honour, while Randeep Hooda made a dream directorial debut by winning Best Debut Director for “Swatantrya Veer Savarkar.”
Kollywood Scripts a Golden Chapter
Tamil cinema enjoyed one of its strongest National Award performances in recent memory.
Dhanush’s “Raayan” was adjudged Best Tamil Feature Film, further cementing his reputation as one of Indian cinema’s most versatile actor-directors.
War drama “Amaran” emerged as another major winner, with Rajkumar Periasamy receiving the Best Director honour and G. V. Prakash Kumar winning Best Music Direction (Background Score).
The honours continued with:
- “Captain Miller” winning Best Feature Film Promoting National, Social and Environmental Values and earning a Special Mention for Dhanush.
- “Maharaja” receiving Best Action Direction, while Sachana Namidass won Best Supporting Actress for the same film.
- R. Kalaivannan winning Best Editing for Amaran.
The awards reflected the remarkable breadth of Tamil cinema—from socially relevant dramas to technically accomplished action films.
Responding to the achievement, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay congratulated the winners and said it was “a matter of great pride that Tamil cinema has secured these honours,” applauding filmmakers, artistes and technicians for elevating the stature of Tamil cinema on the national stage.
Expressing his gratitude, Dhanush described his first National Award as a director as “unforgettable” and said he was “truly humbled” by the recognition.
Dhollywood Continues Its Award-Winning Journey
Gujarati cinema, too, celebrated a defining moment with “Maaran”, directed by Abhishek Jain, winning the Best Gujarati Film award.
The honour reinforces the remarkable resurgence of Gujarati cinema, which has consistently gained national and international recognition through content-driven films over the past decade.
Lead actor Yash Soni celebrated the victory emotionally, saying:
“Ratan will always be special.”
He also expressed heartfelt gratitude to audiences and the entire team behind the film.
The triumph adds to Gujarat’s growing legacy following acclaimed National Award-winning films such as Hellaro, Reva, Chhello Show and Kutch Express.
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel congratulated the makers of Maaran and described the recognition as another proud milestone for Gujarati cinema, appreciating filmmakers for taking Gujarat’s rich storytelling tradition to audiences across the country and beyond.
Celebrating Excellence Across Indian Cinema
The 72nd National Film Awards also recognised excellence across languages and genres.
Highlights included:
- Best Feature Film: Article 370.
- Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment: Kalki 2898 AD.
- Best Debut Director: Randeep Hooda (Swatantrya Veer Savarkar).
- Best Non-Feature Film: Bhangaar.
- Best Documentary: Ram-Nami.
Commercial blockbusters such as Pushpa: The Rule Part-02, Stree 2, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 and Kalki 2898 AD also secured important technical honours, underlining the diversity of Indian cinema.
Regional Cinema Takes Centre Stage
Beyond individual victories, the biggest takeaway from this year’s National Awards is the growing dominance of regional cinema.
Whether it was Tamil cinema’s artistic brilliance, Gujarati cinema’s socially rooted storytelling, Malayalam cinema’s compelling performances or Telugu cinema’s technical excellence, the awards reflected a changing cinematic landscape where authentic stories rooted in regional cultures are increasingly setting national benchmarks.
For Kollywood, it was a celebration of creative excellence.
For Dhollywood, it was another proud affirmation that Gujarati cinema has firmly established itself among India’s finest regional film industries.
Together, they proved that when storytelling is honest, emotionally resonant and technically accomplished, language becomes no barrier—cinema speaks to the entire nation.
