PIB Tracker72nd National Film Awards: 'Article 370' wins Best Feature Film for 2024
The winners of the 72nd National Film Awards (for 2024) were announced — 'Article 370' won Best Feature Film, Yami Gautam Best Actress, and Kartik Aaryan and Mammootty shared Best Actor — India's highest state honour for cinema, conferred by the President.
What happened
- The 72nd National Film Awards (for 2024) winners were announced by the I&B Ministry.
- 'Article 370' won Best Feature Film; Yami Gautam won Best Actress for it.
- Best Actor (Leading Role) was shared by Kartik Aaryan ('Chandu Champion') and Mammootty ('Bramayugam').
- Randeep Hooda won a debut-director honour for 'Swatantrya Veer Savarkar'; 'Bhangaar' won Best Non-Feature Film and 'Ram-Nami' Best Documentary.
- Instituted in 1954, the awards are conferred by the President and administered by the NFDC.
For Prelims
- National Film Awards: India's most prestigious film honours, instituted in 1954, covering feature films, non-feature films and writing on cinema.
- Administered by: The National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) — which absorbed the erstwhile Directorate of Film Festivals; under the Ministry of I&B.
- Conferred by: The President of India at a national ceremony.
- Dadasaheb Phalke Award: The highest honour in Indian cinema (for lifetime contribution) — named after the 'father of Indian cinema'.
- 72nd edition: For films of the year 2024; 'Article 370' won Best Feature Film.
- Cinema as soft power: Indian cinema across languages is a major vehicle of culture, identity and soft power.
For UPSC: A culture item worth knowing — the National Film Awards recognising Indian cinema across languages. Use it for art and culture (cinema as cultural expression and soft power), the institutions behind the awards (I&B/NFDC, the President's role), and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award.
What it is NOT: This is the annual announcement of film-award winners (a cultural honours list), not a policy decision. The awards recognise artistic achievement; the films' subjects do not signify a government position.
For Mains
Syllabus: GS1.1 · GS1.6 · Linkage L1
Anchor
Cinema as culture and soft power — the state honouring artistic excellence across India's languages.
Substantiation (data)
72nd National Film Awards (for 2024): 'Article 370' Best Feature Film; Yami Gautam Best Actress; Kartik Aaryan and Mammootty share Best Actor; instituted 1954, conferred by the President, administered by NFDC.
Exemplification
Recognition spanning feature, non-feature and documentary films across languages; the Dadasaheb Phalke Award as the pinnacle.
Problematisation
Balancing artistic merit, regional/linguistic diversity and popular cinema in a national honours system.
Way-forward
Sustain support for diverse, quality cinema and leverage film as cultural diplomacy and soft power.
Position
Honouring cinema across languages strengthens cultural expression and India's soft power.
Deploys into: Polity & culture — art and culture + Indian society (GS1.1, GS1.6) · the National Film Awards and I&B/NFDC, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, and cinema as culture and soft power.
Ministry of Information & Broadcasting · 2026-07-18 · PRID 2286143 · PIB source ↗