The National Film Awards 2026 ceremony takes place today, Tuesday, September 22, in Kevadia, Gujarat, where President Droupadi Murmu hands Kartik Aaryan and Mammootty a shared Best Actor prize. It is the first time the 72nd edition of India’s top film honour has left New Delhi’s Vigyan Bhawan, and the setting next to the Statue of Unity has turned a government prize-giving into a full media event.
For a money site, the interesting part is how little cash the National Film Awards 2026 actually hand out. The official prize for Best Actor is small enough to vanish inside a single day of a Bollywood star’s shoot. The real payout comes later, in fees, brand deals and the resale value of the films that won.
What Happened at the National Film Awards 2026
The winners were announced back in July by three jury chairs: Jayaraj for feature films, Aseem Sinha for non-feature films and A. Chandrasekhar for writing on cinema. Today is the formal handover. According to The Sentinel’s ceremony preview dated 22 September 2026, the event is being held at Ekta Nagar in Kevadia, with the President presenting the medals.
Kartik Aaryan won for playing Paralympic swimmer Murlikant Petkar in Chandu Champion. Mammootty won for his turn as the sorcerer Kodumon Potti in the black-and-white Malayalam horror film Bramayugam. Yami Gautam took Best Actress for Article 370, which also won Best Feature Film. Veteran Kannada star Anant Nag receives the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for lifetime achievement.
Aaryan arrived early, visited the Statue of Unity and brought his parents along. On Instagram he wrote that he was “still processing” the win, as The News Mill reported.
How the Day Unfolded
- July 2026: Jury announces the 72nd winners, covering films certified in 2024.
- September 2026: Government confirms the ceremony will move to Kevadia, Gujarat.
- September 22, morning: Kartik Aaryan tours the Statue of Unity; Randeep Hooda lands in Gujarat for his Best Debut Director award.
- September 22, ceremony: President Murmu presents the medals, with the Phalke Award to Anant Nag as the closing honour.
National Film Awards 2026 Prize Money and Box Office Figures
The government has not published a fresh prize list for the 72nd edition. The figures below use the schedule applied at last year’s 71st ceremony, which is set out on the 71st National Film Awards record. Dollar figures are rough conversions.
| Winner | Award | Prize (71st schedule) | Film money |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kartik Aaryan | Best Actor (shared) | Half of Rs 2 lakh, about $1,100 | Chandu Champion: about Rs 88.7 crore worldwide on a Rs 70 to 80 crore budget |
| Mammootty | Best Actor (shared) | Half of Rs 2 lakh, about $1,100 | Bramayugam: Rs 60 to 85 crore worldwide on about Rs 27.7 crore |
| Yami Gautam | Best Actress | Rs 2 lakh, about $2,300 | Article 370: about Rs 110.6 crore on a Rs 20 crore budget |
| Article 370 | Best Feature Film | Rs 3 lakh each to producer and director | Streaming on Netflix since April 2024 |
| Anant Nag | Dadasaheb Phalke Award | Rs 10 lakh, about $11,000, plus Swarna Kamal | Five decades of Kannada and Hindi work |
Look at the gap. Chandu Champion earned close to Rs 89 crore worldwide and still counted as a disappointment against its budget. Bramayugam cost roughly a third of that and turned a solid profit. Article 370 made more than five times its budget. The National Film Awards 2026 jury did not weigh any of this, but distributors and streaming buyers do.
What the National Film Awards 2026 Mean for the Money
A National Film Awards 2026 prize of one lakh rupees each is symbolic. Nobody in this room is doing it for the cash. The value sits in three places.
Fee leverage. Trade reports have long put Kartik Aaryan among the better-paid Hindi leads of his generation, with per-film fees in the double-digit crores. A National Award gives his team a fresh argument in every negotiation, especially for serious dramas that previously went to older stars.
Catalogue value. Award-winning films tend to get fresh streaming pushes, satellite reruns and festival revivals. For Bramayugam, a low-budget Malayalam title, a Best Actor win for its lead is free marketing for dubbed versions and overseas rights.
Brand trust. Endorsement agencies in India pay attention to credibility, not only reach. A government-backed honour moves an actor from “popular” to “respected”, which helps with banking, insurance and luxury categories that pay well and last long.
Hollywood works the same way. An Oscar carries no cash at all, yet it reset the asking price for actors such as Cillian Murphy, whose net worth climbed after Oppenheimer, and Jennifer Lawrence, who became one of the best-paid actresses after her own win.
For Mammootty, now in his seventies and already one of Malayalam cinema’s wealthiest names, the win matters less for fees and more for his production business. His banner benefits every time one of his risky projects gets rewarded, because it makes the next unusual film easier to finance.
FAQ
How much prize money does the Best Actor get at the National Film Awards 2026?
Under last year’s schedule, Best Actor carries a Rajat Kamal and Rs 2 lakh. Because the National Film Awards 2026 Best Actor honour is shared, Kartik Aaryan and Mammootty would each receive about Rs 1 lakh, roughly $1,100.
Where is the ceremony being held?
The National Film Awards 2026 ceremony is at Ekta Nagar in Kevadia, Gujarat, near the Statue of Unity. It is the first time the ceremony has moved away from New Delhi.
Who won the Dadasaheb Phalke Award this year?
Veteran actor Anant Nag, whose career spans more than five decades in Kannada and Indian cinema. Last year the award carried Rs 10 lakh, a Swarna Kamal, a medallion and a shawl.
Did Chandu Champion make money?
Not by box office alone. It grossed about Rs 88.7 crore worldwide against an estimated Rs 70 to 80 crore budget, so the win now helps its long-tail value on streaming and television.
The Bottom Line
The National Film Awards 2026 ceremony hands out medals worth a few thousand dollars, split between some of the richest actors in India. That is the headline number, and it is almost meaningless. What counts is the next contract Kartik Aaryan signs, the next film Mammootty bankrolls, and the extra shelf life Article 370, Bramayugam and Chandu Champion now carry. Tonight the cash is small. The payday arrives over the next two years.
