National Awards: 'Article 370' wins Best Feature Film, Yami Best Actress
Article 370 won Best Feature Film at the 72nd National Film Awards, while Yami Gautam received Best Actress in a Leading Role. The awards covered the 2024 eligibility cycle and were presented at a ceremony in 2026. Yami called the National Award the biggest validation for an artist and the highest honour given by the country. Asked about Dhurandhar, director Aditya Dhar said, "We are here for Article 370 and discuss about Dhurandhar hopefully next year."
Source
Times of India — Top · read the original report ↗
Desk check · compared with the source
What the desk checked (5)
- Article 370 won Best Feature Film and Yami Gautam won Best Actress in a Leading Role at the 72nd National Film Awards. — Stated as fact in the source; no awarding authority document cited.
- The awards covered the 2024 eligibility cycle and winners were honoured at a 2026 ceremony. — Figure appears in source; internally consistent with the sequel release date of March 19, 2026.
- Yami Gautam called the National Award the 'biggest validation for any artist'. — Direct quote attributed to Yami Gautam at the ceremony.
- Aditya Dhar said, 'We are here for Article 370 and discuss about Dhurandhar hopefully next year.' — Direct quote attributed to Aditya Dhar; no independent confirmation possible.
- The two-film Dhurandhar franchise grossed around Rs 3,000 crore combined. — Attributed to trade site Sacnilk; unofficial estimate, not audited.
Analysts’ view opinion
This is more than a trophy for one film — it is a double validation for a director's career arc. Aditya Dhar now holds national recognition for 'Article 370' on one side and, per Sacnilk, a roughly Rs 3,000 crore gross across the two-film 'Dhurandhar' franchise on the other; critical honour and commercial scale rarely land together like this. For Yami Gautam, Best Actress after years in the industry is, in her own framing, the 'biggest validation' — the kind of win that can reset how an actor is cast.
- Because the 2024 eligibility cycle was honoured only in 2026, the award's promotional value arrives detached from any release window — it reads as long-term brand equity rather than an immediate box-office lever.
- Yami's description of feeling like 'an absolute newcomer' mirrors a wider pattern of mid-career actors resetting their trajectory through content-led roles.
- The Best Feature Film and Best Actress combination hands this actor-filmmaker pair unusually strong leverage in future project negotiations.
- Dhar's clipped reply — that the evening belonged to 'Article 370' — can be read as careful image management, keeping the commercial franchise separate from the awards moment.
- Audiences themselves are split on whether a National Award moves ticket sales, and the argument that star power and scale matter more in the Indian market remains strong.
What to watch — Watch how Dhar and Yami choose their next projects after this dual validation, and how heavily the National Award tag is leaned on in the marketing around the 'Dhurandhar' sequel.
The story does not establish any revenue benefit to 'Article 370' or Dhar's other films from the award, nor what Dhar actually meant behind his brief 'Dhurandhar' remark.
Deep dive
Research brief · 8 facts · 4 dates · exam-readyThe brief
Context
The 72nd National Film Awards, covering films from the 2024 eligibility cycle, were presented at a ceremony in 2026. Aditya Dhar's film "Article 370" was among the major winners, taking Best Feature Film, while its lead actor Yami Gautam won Best Actress in a Leading Role. Yami Gautam and Aditya Dhar, who are a couple, both attended the ceremony. Dhar was also questioned at the event about his separate two-film action franchise "Dhurandhar".
Key facts
- "Article 370" won Best Feature Film at the 72nd National Film Awards.
- Yami Gautam won Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in "Article 370".
- The 72nd National Film Awards recognised films from the 2024 eligibility cycle, with winners honoured at a ceremony in 2026.
- Yami Gautam called the National Award "the biggest validation for any artist" and "the highest honour presented to you by your country".
- On "Dhurandhar", Aditya Dhar said: "We are here for Article 370 and discuss about Dhurandhar hopefully next year."
- "Dhurandhar" stars Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna, R. Madhavan and Sanjay Dutt.
- The "Dhurandhar" franchise has two films: the first released on December 5, 2025, and the sequel on March 19, 2026.
- According to Sacnilk, the two-film "Dhurandhar" franchise's combined gross is reported at around Rs 3,000 crore.
Timeline
- 2024 eligibility cycleFilms considered for the 72nd National Film Awards, including "Article 370".
- December 5, 2025First instalment of Aditya Dhar's "Dhurandhar" released.
- March 19, 2026Sequel of the "Dhurandhar" franchise released.
- 202672nd National Film Awards ceremony held; "Article 370" wins Best Feature Film and Yami Gautam wins Best Actress in a Leading Role.
Who has a stake
- Yami Gautam — Won Best Actress in a Leading Role; described the award as the highest recognition an artist can get from the country.
- Aditya Dhar — Director of "Article 370", which won Best Feature Film; also directed the "Dhurandhar" franchise.
- "Article 370" team — National recognition through the Best Feature Film honour for a 2024-cycle release.
- "Dhurandhar" cast (Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna, R. Madhavan, Sanjay Dutt) — Part of a two-film franchise reported at around Rs 3,000 crore combined gross.
- National Film Awards institution — Its choices shape prestige and public attention for Indian cinema each cycle.
Why it matters
The National Film Awards are presented as the country's highest official recognition for cinema, so the Best Feature Film and Best Actress wins for "Article 370" mark state-level acknowledgement of a 2024-cycle release. The story also highlights the gap between critical honours and commercial success, with Dhar's separate "Dhurandhar" franchise reported at around Rs 3,000 crore gross.
UPSC angle
Prelims pointers
- 72nd National Film Awards: films of the 2024 eligibility cycle, ceremony held in 2026.
- Best Feature Film (72nd National Film Awards): "Article 370", directed by Aditya Dhar.
- Best Actress in a Leading Role (72nd National Film Awards): Yami Gautam for "Article 370".
- "Dhurandhar" franchise: two films, released December 5, 2025 and March 19, 2026.
- "Dhurandhar" cast: Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna, R. Madhavan, Sanjay Dutt.
- Sacnilk reported the combined gross of the two "Dhurandhar" films at around Rs 3,000 crore.
Mains framing
The 72nd National Film Awards, honouring the 2024 eligibility cycle at a 2026 ceremony, gave "Article 370" the Best Feature Film award and Yami Gautam the Best Actress in a Leading Role honour — an instance of state recognition conferring prestige on a film and its performers. Yami Gautam's framing of the award as "the biggest validation for any artist" and "the highest honour presented to you by your country" points to the symbolic weight that official national recognition carries in the Indian film ecosystem, distinct from market validation. That distinction is visible in the same story: director Aditya Dhar deflected questions about his "Dhurandhar" franchise — two films released on December 5, 2025 and March 19, 2026, with a combined gross reported by Sacnilk at around Rs 3,000 crore — saying the evening belonged to "Article 370". The episode invites reflection on how critical or official honours and box-office performance operate on separate tracks, and on the role of national awards in signalling which films and performances the state chooses to spotlight. The source does not state the criteria, jury composition or policy framework behind the selections, so any assessment must remain limited to what was announced.
Key terms
- National Film Awards
- India's official film awards; described in the story as the highest honour presented to an artist by the country.
- 72nd National Film Awards
- The edition covering films of the 2024 eligibility cycle, with winners honoured at a ceremony in 2026.
- Best Feature Film
- Top National Film Award category for a feature film; won by "Article 370".
- Best Actress in a Leading Role
- National Film Award category for a lead female performance; won by Yami Gautam for "Article 370".
- Eligibility cycle
- The year of release that determines which films can be considered for a given National Film Awards edition — here, 2024.
- Sacnilk
- The trade source cited in the story for the reported combined gross of about Rs 3,000 crore for the "Dhurandhar" franchise.
Practice questions
- Discuss the significance of state-conferred honours such as the National Film Awards in shaping the prestige and public reception of Indian cinema.
- "Critical recognition and commercial success in Indian cinema often follow separate tracks." Examine this with reference to the 72nd National Film Awards and recent box-office trends cited in the news.
- What do the 72nd National Film Awards results (Best Feature Film and Best Actress) indicate about the kinds of films receiving national recognition in the 2024 eligibility cycle?
Grounded only in the source report — figures and dates are the source's, not inferred.