Ekta Nagar to Host 72nd National Film Awards as Anant Nag Receives Dadasaheb Phalke Honor

Gujarat's Ekta Nagar will hold the 72nd National Film Awards on Tuesday, September 22, starting at 3 p.m., marking the first time the ceremony takes place outside the capital. President Droupadi Murmu will hand out the prizes on the grounds of the Statue of Unity. Veteran Kannada star Anant Nag is set to receive the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the country's top film honour, after a five‑decade career that includes more than 300 movies. The previous recipient of the award was Malayalam icon Mohanlal. Mammootty will be recognised with his fourth National Film Award for Best Actor for his role in "Bramayugam", tying him with Amitabh Bachchan for the most wins in that category. Kartik Aaryan also shares the Best Actor title for his performance in "Chandu Champion". The Best Feature Film award goes to "Article 370", directed by Aditya Suhas Jambhale, while Yami Gautam earns Best Actress for the same film. Rajkumar Periasamy (Amaran) wins Best Direction. Supporting‑actor honours are given to Sanjay Mishra for "Bhakshak", Sachana Namidass for "Maharaja" and Ropashree Varkady for "Mithya". Arun Matheswaran's "Captain Miller" receives the award for promoting national, social and environmental values. Randeep Hooda is named Best Debut Director for "Swatantrya Veer Savarkar". Nag Ashwin's sci‑fi epic "Kalki 2898 AD" wins Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. "Bhangaar" is crowned Best Non‑Feature Film and Aanand L Rai gets Best Direction (non‑feature) for "Statue of Unity – Ekta ka Prateek". The documentary "Ram‑Nami" takes the top documentary prize. A Press Information Bureau release said future ceremonies will move to other states, reflecting the spirit of "Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat".