Actress Yami Gautam Dhar, who has been honoured with the Best Actress award at the 72nd National Film Awards, said her first National Award has brought out the newcomer in her despite years of experience as an artiste.
Yami attended the National Awards ceremony on Tuesday, walking the red carpet with her husband, filmmaker Aditya Dhar.
Speaking to Prasar Bharati, Yami described the National Award as the highest honour an artiste in the country can receive and said she was still trying to absorb the moment.
“This is the biggest validation that any artiste in this country could receive. It’s the highest honour. I don’t think I’ll be able to express how I am feeling right now,” she said.
Yami added that despite her years in the industry, the recognition made her feel like an absolute newcomer experiencing something “so big, new and so special”.
“‘Article 370’ gave me so much as an artiste and as an actor,” she said.
Yami received the Best Actress honour for her performance in ‘Article 370’, which portrays the planning and aftermath surrounding the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution of India.
Reflecting on the film’s significance in her career, she said it gave her the opportunity to take on the kind of work she had wanted to do for a long time.
“It gave me everything that I have been wanting to do for the longest time. Years of hard work often trickles down to one moment and for me that was ‘Article 370’,” Yami said.
The 72nd National Film Awards, honouring Indian cinema from 2024, were presented on September 22, 2026, in Kevadia, Gujarat. President Droupadi Murmu conferred the awards.
‘Article 370’ was also named Best Feature Film.
Malayalam cinema legend Mammootty received the National Award for Best Actor for ‘Bramayugam’, sharing the honour with Kartik Aaryan, who was recognised for his performance in the sports biopic ‘Chandu Champion’.
Rajkumar Periasamy won Best Direction for ‘Amaran’, while Randeep Hooda received the Best Debut Director award for ‘Swatantrya Veer Savarkar’.
‘Kalki 2898 AD’ was named Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment.
