72nd National Film Awards: Where to watch for free with Mammootty, Kartik Aaryan and Yami Gautam

Dubai: The 72nd National Film Awards will be presented today, Tuesday 22 September, and viewers in the UAE can watch live from 1.30pm.

President Droupadi Murmu will hand out the honours at Ekta Nagar, formerly Kevadia, in Gujarat, with the Statue of Unity as a backdrop. Around 92 winners will be recognised for their work in Indian cinema in 2024. It marks the first time the ceremony has moved out of Delhi.

When and how to watch

The ceremony begins at 3pm India time, which is 1.30pm in the UAE.

DD National will stream it live on its YouTube channel, so it can be watched online from anywhere.

When: Tuesday 22 September, 1.30pm UAE time

Where: Ekta Nagar, Gujarat, streaming live on DD National's YouTube channel

Price: Free to watch online

Why this year is different

The National Film Awards have traditionally been held in the capital. This year, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has taken the ceremony to Gujarat, as the first step in a plan to rotate it between different states and cities in future editions.

The government has framed the move around the idea of Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat, which translates as "One India, Great India". Other states may host the ceremony in the coming years.

The big winners

The winners were announced in July by an 11-member jury chaired by Malayalam filmmaker Jayaraj.

Article 370 won Best Feature Film, and its lead, Yami Gautam, was named Best Actress for her performance in it.

The Best Actor award is shared. Mammootty wins for the Malayalam film Bramayugam, his fourth National Award, and Kartik Aaryan for the Hindi sports biopic Chandu Champion.

Tamil film Amaran also picked up several honours, including Best Direction for Rajkumar Periasamy, Best Music for GV Prakash Kumar and Best Editing for R Kalaivanan.

Elsewhere:

• Kalki 2898 AD won Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment.

• Randeep Hooda won Best Debut Director for Swatantrya Veer Savarkar.

• Sukumar won Best Screenplay for Pushpa 2.

• Stree 2 won Best Choreography.

• Srikanth was named Best Hindi Film, and Feminichi Fathima Best Malayalam Film.

• Sanjay Mishra won Best Supporting Actor for Bhakshak.

• Best Supporting Actress was shared by Ropashree Varkady for Mithya and Sachana Namidass for Maharaja.

• Dhanush received a Special Mention for Captain Miller.

Anant Nag to receive the Dadasaheb Phalke Award

Veteran actor Anant Nag will receive the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2024, India's highest official honour in cinema.

After the announcement, he praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for changing how the award is decided.

"It was a very special category, you know; it was given nepotism and favouritism, and everything was there in this award-giving, as well. But Modi changed it. Modi was the only person who asked people to please recommend the name they had in their mind. That was the first time he brought it out into the public," he told PTI.

He said the honour had taken him by surprise.

"Well, I didn't anticipate that I would be given this Phalke Award, as such. So, I'm trying to come to terms with it. I would dedicate it to the people of Karnataka, and then thank Mr Modi, our dear Prime Minister, for this, because he tweeted it and announced this particular award. So I'm grateful to him, and grateful to this country which has provided me this opportunity."