Anant Nag honoured with Dadasaheb Phalke Award; Mammootty, Kartik, Yami win National Awards

President Droupadi Murmu presented the award at the ceremony in Ekta Nagar, Gujarat

Last updated: September 22, 2026 | 18:32

Devadasan K P, Chief Visual Editor

2 MIN READ

Veteran Kannada actor Anant Nag was honoured with the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award by President Droupadi Murmu at the 72nd National Film Awards ceremony, recognising his outstanding contribution to Indian cinema.

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Veteran Kannada actor Anant Nag was honoured with the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award at the 72nd National Film Awards ceremony in Ekta Nagar, Gujarat, on Tuesday, in recognition of his contribution to Indian cinema over a career spanning more than five decades.

President Droupadi Murmu presented the award at the ceremony, which honoured achievements in Indian cinema for 2024. Nag, who has worked extensively in Kannada cinema as well as Hindi and other Indian-language films, was selected for the country’s highest cinema honour for his enduring contribution to the industry.

The ceremony also saw major acting honours for Malayalam cinema icon Mammootty and Bollywood star Kartik Aaryan. Mammootty received the Best Actor in a Leading Role award for his performance in the Malayalam film ‘Bramayugam’.

At the same time, Kartik Aaryan shared the honour for his portrayal of Paralympic champion Murlikant Petkar in ‘Chandu Champion’.

Yami Gautam was named Best Actress in a Leading Role for ‘Article 370’, which also won Best Feature Film.

Rajkumar Periasamy received the Best Direction award for the Tamil film ‘Amaran’.

‘Kalki 2898 AD’ won the award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, while Randeep Hooda was honoured for Best Debut Film of a Director for ‘Swatantrya Veer Savarkar’.

The awards also recognised work across India's diverse regional film industries. ‘Bhangaar’ was named Best Non-Feature Film, while ‘Ram-Nami’ won Best Documentary.

The 72nd National Film Awards marked the first time the ceremony was held outside New Delhi. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has announced plans to take future editions to different states and cities across India.

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Devadasan K PChief Visual Editor

Devadasan K P is the Chief Visual Editor at Gulf News, bringing more than 27 years of experience in photojournalism to the role. He leads the Visual desk with precision, speed, and a strong editorial instinct. Whether he’s selecting images of royalty, chasing the biggest celebrity moments in Dubai, or covering live events himself, Devadasan is always a few steps ahead of the action. Over the years, he has covered a wide range of major assignments — including the 2004 tsunami in Sri Lanka, the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, feature reportage from Afghanistan, the IMF World Bank meetings, and wildlife series from Kenya. His work has been widely recognised with industry accolades, including the Minolta Photojournalist of the Year award in 2005, the Best Picture Award at the Dubai Shopping Festival in 2008, and a Silver Award from the Society for News Design in 2011. He handles the newsroom pressure with a calm attitude, a quick response time, and his signature brand of good-natured Malayali humour. There's no fuss — just someone who gets the job done very well, every single time.

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Anant Nag honoured with Dadasaheb Phalke Award; Mammootty, Kartik, Yami win National Awards

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