Photo: https://nfaindia.org/
The National Film Awards ceremony will take place in Gujarat for the first time on September 22, 2026, with the 72nd edition scheduled in Ekta Nagar. President Droupadi Murmu will present the awards, government officials said on Monday.
The move to Ekta Nagar marks a departure from the awards’ traditional venue in Delhi. The first National Film Awards ceremony was organised here in 1954, and Delhi has hosted most of the subsequent ceremonies. The Awards have been presented outside Delhi before – the 17th and 18th editions were held in Madras (now Chennai) in 1970 and 1971, as per reports.
Ekta Nagar, formerly known as Kevadia, is home to the Statue of Unity, the 597-foot monument dedicated to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018.
The winners of the 72nd National Film Awards, announced in July, include ‘Article 370’ as the best feature film. Yami Gautam has been named as the best actress for her performance in the same film.
Mammootty and Kartik Aaryan will share the best actor award for their performances in ‘Bramayugam’ (Malayalam) and ‘Chandu Champion’ (Hindi) respectively.
Actor-filmmaker Randeep Hooda has won the best debut director award for ‘Swatantrya Veer Savarkar’, a biographical film on Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ has bagged the award for best popular film providing wholesome wntertainment.
Published – September 07, 2026 05:32 pm IST
