72nd National Film Awards: Telugu cinema wins 9 awards; ‘Kalki 2898 AD,’ ‘Pushpa 2’ wins

The 72nd edition of the National Film Awards, which recognizes CBFC-certified films from January 1 to December 31, 2024, brought applause to the Telugu film industry, which bagged nine awards.

Kalki 2898 AD directed by Nag Ashwin was adjudged as the best popular film providing wholesome entertainment. The film, which tells a story inspired by the Mahabharata in a dystopian sci-fi setting, travels between three worlds: Kasi as the last surviving city, Shambala, which awaits the birth of Kalki, and a futuristic city called the Complex. Production designer Nitin Zihani Choudhary, who designed three distinct worlds with attention to detail, won the award for best production design. A sequel to this film is in the works starring Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan and Kamal Haasan.

Allu Arjun in Pushpa 2: The Rule

Pushpa 2: The Rule, which was the highest-grossing Telugu film of 2024, won its director B Sukumar the National Award for Best Original Screenplay. The highlight of this film was Allu Arjun sporting an androgynous look in the Gangamma Jatara sequence, resonating with the cultural authenticity of the regional festivities. The film’s costume designers Deepali Noor and Sheetal Sharma won the award for best costumes.

A scene from the Committee of Kurroll

Meanwhile, director Venky Atluri bagged the best dialogue writer award for his Dulquer Salmaan-starrer Lucky Baskhar.

Dulquer Salmaan in Lucky Baskhar

The National Award for Best Children’s Film went to 35-Chinna Katha Kaadu directed by Nanda Kishore Emani. Child actor Arundev also won the Best Child Artist award for 35-Chinna Katha Kaadu. He shares the award with Riddhiman Banerjee, Topomoy Deb, Gitashree Chakraborty (for Onko Ki Kothin) and Athish S Shetty (for Mithya).

Still life from 35-Chinna Katha Kaadu | Photo credit: Special arrangement

One of the small surprises of 2024 came in the form of debutant director Yadhu Vamsi’s Kurroll Committee, a nostalgic tale of friendship that also deals with class and caste divisions. Produced by Niharika Konidela, Kurrollu Committee won the National Award for Best Telugu Film. P Ravi Kumar won the Best Makeup Artist award for the same film.

The respective teams of these films quickly took to social media to thank the jury and the audience for their support.

Published – 18 Jul 2026 20:35 IST