The 72nd National Film Awards have been declared, and the big winners are thrilled.
Key Points
- Yami Gautam: ‘For 14 years, I have tried to stay true to my craft, work with honesty and let my performances speak for themselves.’
- Kartik Aaryan: ‘I went numb when I heard of the honour.’
- Sanjay Mishra: ‘As an actor, all you really hope for is to keep getting good stories and meaningful characters to play.’
‘Article 370 was never just another film for me’
Yami Gautam, Best Actress (Article 370)
Receiving the National Award for Article 370 is an honour I will cherish for the rest of my life. For 14 years, I have tried to stay true to my craft, work with honesty and let my performances speak for themselves.
This honour feels like the culmination of a journey filled with hope, perseverance, resilience and an unwavering love for cinema. It is a dream I have carried in my heart for years and today, I receive it with immense gratitude and humility.
Article 370 was never just another film for me. It was a story I deeply believed in. The fact that it was our home production makes this recognition even more emotional and personal. Every challenge, every conversation and every day on set was driven by one shared purpose, to tell this story with honesty and conviction.
My heartfelt gratitude to the Honourable Jury for this incredible recognition, to our visionary director, our phenomenal cast and crew and to every member of the audience who embraced Article 370 with such love and belief. You reminded us that meaningful stories will always find their way to people’s hearts.
‘To share the honour with the great Mammootty sir…wow!’
Kartik Aaryan, Best Actor (Chandu Champion)
I went numb when I heard of the honour. Of course, I hoped to win for Chandu Champion. All of us had worked hard on it. But hoping is one thing and actually winning is quite another.
And to share the honour with the great Mammootty sir…wow!
‘This recognition belongs to the entire team of Bhakshak’
Sanjay Mishra, Best Supporting Actor (Bhakshak)
As an actor, all you really hope for is to keep getting good stories and meaningful characters to play. And when that journey is recognised with an honour as prestigious as the National Awards, there can be no greater feeling. I am deeply grateful for this recognition.
Bhakshak is a very important film, and I would like to thank (Director) Pulkit and (Producers) Red Chillies Entertainment and Netflix for bringing this story to audiences with such honesty and courage.
This recognition belongs to the entire team of Bhakshak.
‘I was not even nominated for the other popular awards’
Tushar Hiranandani, Best Hindi Film (Srikanth)
I am really happy and thankful to the jury, and also my mother and my father-in-law, whom I lost before Srikanth‘s release. I am so sad they could not see the film.
I lost both of them to cancer.
I am so happy to win the biggest award there is in the entertainment industry today: The National Award.
I feel great because none of the other popular awards… I was not even nominated for them. But I won the National Award for Best Hindi Film, and this is the highest award in India.
Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff
