The National Film Awards are about to enter a new chapter, with the annual ceremony moving away from its long-standing home in New Delhi. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has announced that the 72nd National Film Awards will take place at Ekta Nagar in Gujarat on September 22, against the backdrop of the Statue of Unity. More significantly, the government has decided that future ceremonies will also be held at different locations across the country instead of returning to the national capital every year.
The decision changes more than just the venue. For decades, Vigyan Bhawan in Delhi has been closely associated with the National Film Awards ceremony, making the move to Gujarat a notable shift in how India’s highest national cinema honours are presented. This year’s event is being positioned as an effort to take the celebration of Indian cinema beyond Delhi and closer to different parts of the country.
A statement from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting reads, “In a major policy initiative, it has been decided by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting to hold National Film Awards in various parts of the country taking beyond National Capital. The ceremony at Ekta Nagar this year will bring together cinematic talent from across India, embodying the spirit of ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’.”
What Will Happen at the Gujarat Ceremony?
The 72nd National Film Awards will be held at Ekta Nagar, Kevadia, Gujarat, with President Droupadi Murmu scheduled to present the honours. The ceremony will recognise 92 winners from Indian cinema for films released in 2024, bringing together filmmakers and performers from across the country’s diverse film industries.
The location itself will make the event different from previous editions. The ceremony will take place at the foot of the Statue of Unity, the world’s tallest statue, creating a setting that is considerably different from the traditional government venue in Delhi. Around 1,000 guests are expected to attend alongside the President and the award recipients.
Organisers are also preparing a temporary aluminium structural dome in the Bus Bay area for the ceremony. The event is expected to run for approximately 75 minutes, giving the awards a relatively compact format despite the large number of winners and guests attending. The combination of the new venue, the scale of attendance and the presence of the President makes the Gujarat edition a significant departure from the ceremony’s established format.
This will also be the first time Gujarat hosts the National Film Awards ceremony at Ekta Nagar. The move gives the state an opportunity to host one of the country’s most prestigious cinema events while putting the spotlight on a location that has increasingly become a major national landmark.
Why Are the National Film Awards Changing Locations?
The bigger change goes beyond this year’s Gujarat event. The Ministry has decided that the National Film Awards will be organised in different parts of India each year, effectively ending the tradition of holding the ceremony at the same location in the national capital.
The idea behind the move is to make the National Film Awards more geographically inclusive. Indian cinema is not centred around one city or one language, and the new approach allows different regions to become part of the national celebration. The ministry’s reference to ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’ also underlines the intention to use cinema as a way of highlighting India’s cultural diversity.
For audiences and the film industry, the change could make the awards ceremony feel less Delhi-centric. Filmmakers from different regions will have the opportunity to see the country’s biggest cinema honours arrive in their part of India, while each host location can bring its own cultural identity to the event.
It also gives the ceremony a fresh visual identity each year. Instead of the familiar backdrop of Vigyan Bhawan, future editions could be staged at prominent landmarks and venues across different states. Gujarat’s first hosting opportunity therefore becomes the beginning of a potentially much broader tradition.
Who Are the Major Winners at the 72nd National Film Awards?
The move to Gujarat comes after the winners for the 72nd National Film Awards were announced by the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in July. Article 370 has been named Best Feature Film, while Yami Gautam has won Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance.
The Best Actor in a Leading Role honour will be shared by Mammootty and Kartik Aaryan. Their joint win brings together two generations of leading performers and reflects the range of performances recognised by this year’s awards.
The ceremony will therefore bring the winners together in a setting that is itself part of the National Film Awards’ history. With President Droupadi Murmu presenting the honours and the Statue of Unity serving as the backdrop, the Gujarat edition is expected to have a distinctly different atmosphere from the ceremonies traditionally held in Delhi.
The decision to rotate the venue could also become one of the most consequential changes to the awards in years. While the winners and categories remain at the heart of the event, the location now becomes part of the identity of each edition. Gujarat gets the first opportunity to establish what that new model can look like.
National Film Awards 2026: Frequently Asked Questions
When will the 72nd National Film Awards ceremony take place?
The 72nd National Film Awards ceremony will be held on September 22, 2026. The event will take place at Ekta Nagar in Gujarat.
Where will the 72nd National Film Awards be held?
The ceremony will be held at Ekta Nagar, Kevadia, Gujarat, at the foot of the Statue of Unity.
Will the National Film Awards continue to be held in Delhi every year?
No. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has announced a policy under which the ceremony will be held at different locations across India each year.
Who will present the National Film Awards?
President Droupadi Murmu will present the awards to the winners at this year’s ceremony.
Which film won Best Feature Film at the 72nd National Film Awards?
Article 370 won the Best Feature Film honour according to the winners list announced by the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Who won Best Actor and Best Actress at the 72nd National Film Awards?
Mammootty and Kartik Aaryan will share the Best Actor in a Leading Role honour, while Yami Gautam has been named Best Actress in a Leading Role.
The decision to take the National Film Awards outside Delhi marks a meaningful change in the way India’s premier cinema honours will connect with the country. Gujarat will get the first edition under this new model, with the Statue of Unity providing an unusually prominent backdrop for the September 22 ceremony. The government now plans to take the event to different parts of India in subsequent years, potentially giving each edition its own regional character.
For the winners of the 72nd National Film Awards, the location will add another memorable element to an already important career milestone. For the National Film Awards themselves, however, the bigger story is the change in tradition. After years of being associated with Delhi’s Vigyan Bhawan, India’s national cinema ceremony is now set to travel.
