72nd National Film Awards Announced in India; Best Book on Cinema and Best Film Critic winners revealed

Published Jul 18, 12:14 PM UTC

The 72nd National Film Awards were announced on July 18, 2026, by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, recognizing excellence in feature films, non-feature films, and writing on cinema across Indian languages. The awards honor films certified by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) during the 2024 calendar year. The announcement was streamed live on official digital platforms. The article provides live updates, including the Best Book on Cinema award going to 'Naaniruvude Nimagaagi Naadiruvude Nanagaagi: Kannada Cinemada Thathva Matthu Rajakeeya' by Kenchanuru Pradeep Kumar Shetty, and the Best Film Critic award to Sanjeev Shrivastava (Hindi). It also references the 71st National Film Awards, where '12th Fail' won Best Feature Film, Shah Rukh Khan and Vikrant Massey shared Best Actor, and Rani Mukerji won Best Actress.