72nd National Film Awards to be delayed; Will Malayalam Cinema excel as deliberations continue?
New Delhi: The announcement of the 72nd National Film Awards is likely to be delayed by more than a week, government sources said on Saturday. The jury is still in the process of finalising the winners.
The clarification comes amid media reports suggesting that the winners would be announced in the coming week.
According to officials, the jury deliberations are still underway, and the process is taking longer due to prior commitments of some jury members.
“As per government sources, the jury’s deliberations are still underway. A few members of the jury have prior commitments, and the process is expected to take some more time. Accordingly, the announcement is likely to take more than a week,” the sources said.
They also urged the media to avoid speculation until the selection process is completed.
The 72nd National Film Awards will honour films certified by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) in 2024.
Considered India’s most prestigious film honours, the National Film Awards recognise excellence in feature and non-feature cinema across categories such as acting, direction, screenplay, music, cinematography, editing and technical achievements.
Key Malayalam contenders this year
Bramayugam, Manjummel Boys and Kishkindha Kaandam from the Malayalam film industry have generated massive buzz among fans. Mammootty and Prithviraj Sukumaran are expected to be among the prominent names in contention for the Best Actor Award.
Other big entries
Other notable entries include the Hindi films Article 370, Srikanth and Chandu Champion, Tamil films Maharaja, Meiyazhagan and Amaran, as well as Telugu releases Kalki 2898 AD, Lucky Baskhar and Devara: Part 1.
PTI