Narmada16 minutes agoAuthor: Aziz Cutleriwala
The 72nd National Film Awards-2024 will be held at Ekta Nagar in Gujarat’s Narmada district on 22 September, marking the first time in the awards’ over 70-year history that the prestigious ceremony will be hosted outside New Delhi.
The ceremony, organised by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, will be held at the Statue of Unity, located at Kevadia.
National Film Awards (file image)
A total of 92 award winners, including the recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, will be felicitated by President Droupadi Murmu during the approximately 75-minute ceremony. The main award function is scheduled from 4 pm to 6 pm, while a rehearsal will be held a day earlier.
1,000-seater venue to be set up in Narmada
A German aluminium structural dome will be erected at the Statue of Unity’s bus-bay area for the national-level event. The venue will have seating capacity for around 1,000 guests, besides arrangements for infrastructure, security and other requirements.
German dome tent (representative image)
A meeting chaired by Narmada District Collector Ganga Singh on Monday reviewed preparations for the ceremony. Officials discussed arrangements concerning security, protocol, movement of dignitaries, venue management and other logistical requirements to ensure a smooth and dignified event.
Shift to Gujarat sparks debate
The decision to hold the National Film Awards in Kevadia, Gujarat, instead of Delhi has triggered political and industry criticism. Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray accused the Centre of creating a divide between Gujarat and the rest of India.
Meanwhile, the party’s MP, Sanjay Raut, urged artists to boycott the event. Filmmaker Rahul Dholakia has also questioned the venue choice, arguing that major film hubs such as Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Hyderabad could have been considered.
‘Article 370’ won Best Feature, Maaran is best Gujarati film
Among the major honours, ‘Article 370’ has been selected as Best Feature Film, while ‘Bhangaar’ won Best Non-Feature Film and ‘Ram-Nami’ was chosen as Best Documentary.
For Gujarat, the ceremony holds additional significance as Abhishek Jain’s Gujarati film ‘Maaran’, named Best Gujarati Film, will be felicitated by the President in the state itself.
Yami Gautam Dhar, Kartik Aaryan among other stars to be awarded
Mammootty (‘Bramayugam’) and Kartik Aaryan (‘Chandu Champion’) will share the Best Actor in a Leading Role honour, while Yami Gautam will receive Best Actress for ‘Article 370’. Randeep Hooda will be honoured as Best Debut Director for ‘Swatantrya Veer Savarkar’.
Films across Marathi, Santhali, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, Tulu and Garhwali, among other languages, will also receive honours. Notably, a Santhali film will be recognised in the Non-Feature Film section for the first time. ‘Kalki 2898 AD’, ‘Amaran’, ‘Pushpa: The Rule Part-02’, ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3’ and ‘Stree 2’ have also won honours in various categories.
