The curious case of the 72nd National Film AwardsThis year’s National Film Awards announcement saw several hits and misses; know all about it.
We’re halfway through 2026, but let me take you back to 2024, where debates raged galore on social media about films. Why was Laapataa Ladies India’s official entry to the Oscars over Cannes favourite All We Imagine As Light? Which film was more wholesome? Meiyazhagan or Manjummel Boys? Kill, Amaran, Aavesham, Premalu…people seemed to care about cinema from across the country, and the underdogs were shining. The year also saw the big players hit it out of the park with films such as Pushpa 2, Kalki 2898 AD, Stree 2, The GOAT, and more… at least at the box office. The North vs South debate raged on with films clawing for the top spot. Now, when the 72nd National Film Awards were recently announced for the year, imagine any cinephile’s confusion at not finding some of the films and performances they believed were the greatest, not even getting a mention in the list. Mammootty won his much-deserved fourth Best Actor award for his chilling performance in the period horror Bramayugam, a rare win in which a horror film was deemed serious enough for an award. He shares it with first-time winner Kartik Aaryan, who received it for his performance in Chandu Champion. While there’s no denying how hard the Bollywood actor worked on his role of a Paralympian, many questioned whether it was the best of the year. The same could be said for Article 370, while the consensus seemed mixed about Yami Gautam receiving Best Actress for her performance in it.
Dhanush, meanwhile, received awards for films that didn’t exactly receive unanimous praise upon release – Raayan and Captain Miller - as Best Tamil Film, Best Film Promoting National, Social and Environmental Values, and Special Mention (Best Actor). Again, while there’s no denying his talent, were these films that truly deserved recognition? One thing worth celebrating is that this brings the star’s National Award count to six. But even his staunchest fans know that he is capable of much more than these 2024 films. Kuberaa, which was released the following year, is proof of it. Tamil and Malayalam cinema truly seemed to face the biggest snubs from the jury despite shining through the year. When Manjummel Boys was released, people couldn’t stop talking about Guna caves or humming Ilaiyaraaja’s Kanmani Anbodu Kadhalan. The film almost seemed like a metaphor for good cinema thriving in the darkest of times, even as the audience watched a group of men do everything in their power to save their friend. A dialogue between two polar opposites in Meiyazhagan, particularly Karthi’s wholesome performance, won hearts. What could seem banal felt like an insight into something beautiful and vulnerable. It’s no wonder the announcement left people scratching their heads about why neither of these films was mentioned on the list. One might argue that Kill was too gory, Aavesham and Premalu, too frivolous, but what about Maharaja, Amaran, Thangalaan and Vaazhai? Maharaja was one of the films in 2024 that sparked debates around how assault is depicted on screen. Amaran was celebrated for telling the story of a brave real-life soldier, while Thangalaan and Vaazhai were, in the truest sense, rare stories. Jury member and choreographer Kala Master spoke to the press and said that some of the 400 submissions moved her to tears. She also claimed that the jury’s personal likes or relationships had nothing to do with the selections. But one can’t help but wonder what the criteria are for selecting the winners and snubbing others? Unfortunately, this is not a new conversation, given that Aadujeevitham (The Goat Life) ‘s snub last year and The Kerala Story and Maidaan receiving awards sparked the exact same conversation. Kala might or might not have allayed the strong reactions to this year’s National Awards, but one thing is for sure. In this country, good cinema will always be celebrated one way or another. If not by awards, then by the love shown to it when it’s released and for years to come after.
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