72nd National Film Awards: Tamil film 'Meiyazhagan' gets special mention for sound mixing

Award ceremony highlights

The 72nd National Film Awards were announced on Saturday, with several films and artists being recognised for their contributions to Indian cinema. The ceremony, held in New Delhi, saw a mix of established and emerging talent take home top honours across various categories.

Tamil cinema made a strong showing this year. The slice-of-life drama 'Meiyazhagan' earned a special mention for its sound mixing, a nod to the technical finesse that often goes unnoticed in mainstream conversations.

Best Feature Film and acting honours

The award for Best Hindi Feature Film went to 'Srikanth', starring Rajkummar Rao. The film, based on the life of visually impaired industrialist Srikanth Bolla, has been praised for its sensitive storytelling and Rao's performance.

In the acting categories, the jury decided to split the Best Actor award between Kartik Aaryan and veteran Malayalam star Mammootty. Aaryan won for his role in an as-yet-unnamed film, while Mammootty was recognised for his work in a Malayalam feature. Yami Gautam took home the Best Actress award for a Hindi film.

Regional cinema and technical awards

Regional language films continued to dominate the awards. Besides 'Meiyazhagan', several other Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, and Bengali films received awards in various categories. The Best Feature Film award went to a regional language entry, though the complete list of winners is still being compiled.

Technical awards were also distributed, recognising excellence in cinematography, editing, and sound design. The special mention for 'Meiyazhagan's sound mixing highlights the growing appreciation for immersive audio in Indian cinema.

How to watch the ceremony

The award ceremony was broadcast live on Doordarshan and streamed on the government's OTT platform. For those who missed the live telecast, the event will be available on-demand on the same platform from Sunday.

Viewers can also catch highlights on news channels and the official YouTube channel of the Directorate of Film Festivals.

What to watch next

The complete list of winners across all 28 categories is expected to be released on the official National Film Awards website later today. Film enthusiasts will be watching closely for surprises in the documentary and animation categories.