Kartik Aaryan gets emotional as President Murmu congratulates him; Yami Gautam, Aditya Dhar, Mammootty, Dhanush win National Film AwardsInstagram

The 72nd National Film Awards ceremony took place at Ekta Nagar in Kevadia, Gujarat, and President Droupadi Murmu presented the honours. This year's ceremony marks a significant change in tradition as the prestigious awards are being presented outside New Delhi for the first time. The event was held near the Statue of Unity and honoured the best of Indian cinema for 2024.

A total of 92 winners are being honoured across various categories. Among the biggest highlights of the ceremony was veteran Kannada actor Anant Nag receiving the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2024 for his contribution to Indian cinema over a career spanning more than five decades.

The major winners this year include Yami Gautam, who has been named Best Actress for Article 370, while Mammootty (Bramayugam) and Kartik Aaryan (Chandu Champion) share the Best Actor honour. Article 370 has won Best Feature Film, while Rajkumar Periasamy has been named Best Director for Amaran. Randeep Hooda has won Best Debut Director for Swatantrya Veer Savarkar.

In his speech after receiving the Dadasaheb Phalke honour, Anant Nag thanked everyone who helped him in his career. He said, "This award doesn't belong to me alone. It also belongs to everyone – producers, directors, associate directors, assistant directors. The awards belong to millions of people who opened their hearts and minds to my characters over decades."

Kartik Aaryan gets teary-eyed as President Murmu congratulates him; Yami Gautam, Aditya Dhar win National Film AwardsInstagram

Towards the end, he said, "Before I conclude, I want to quote Sri Adi Shankaracharya - 'Vande Mataram... This great country is my janmabhoomi; Karnataka is my karmabhoomi. Bharat is also my dharmabhoomi.'"

Actor Yami Gautam was honoured with the National Film Award for Best Actress for her performance in Article 370. The actor looked stunning in a black saree as she attended the award function.

In the Best Actor category, Mammootty and Kartik Aaryan jointly received the honour for their performances in Bramayugam and Chandu Champion, respectively. Randeep Hooda was honoured with the Best Debut Film of a Director award for Swatantrya Veer Savarkar, while Rajkumar Periasamy won Best Director for Amaran.

Kartik Aaryan got emotional as President Murmu congratulated him on his Best Actor win.

Filmmaker Aditya Dhar received the Best Feature Film honour for Article 370.

Actor Randeep Hooda won the Best Debut Film of a Director National Award for Swatantrya Veer Savarkar. The actor opted for a white bandhgala outfit.

Dhanush's Captain Miller won the honour for Best Film Promoting Social, National and Environmental Values.

Malayalam superstar Mammootty was honoured with the Best Actor in a Leading Role award for Bramayugam. He also received a standing ovation at the prestigious ceremony.

Actor and filmmaker Dhanush received a Special Mention (Performance) for his role in the film Captain Miller at the 72nd National Film Awards.