Article 370 wins Best Feature Film, Aditya Dhar hopes Dhurandhar is next

Aditya Dhar collected the Best Feature Film honour for Article 370 at the National Film Awards in Kevadia, Gujarat on Tuesday, September 22. His wife, actor Yami Gautam, took the top acting prize for women for her work in the same film. Reports say Article 370 finished the night with three wins, the third being Best Music Direction for its songs.

On the red carpet the host steered the conversation towards Dhurandhar, the film that has turned into one of the biggest earners Hindi cinema has seen. Aditya laughed the question off. "We are here for Article 370. We will discuss Dhurandhar, hopefully, if we come next year also, but today it's all about Article 370," he said.

That hope is not idle. This year's ceremony honoured films released in 2024, and Dhurandhar arrived after that, so it becomes eligible at a later edition. Taken together, the two Dhurandhar films have reportedly pulled in around 3,000 crore rupees at the box office.

Yami, winning her first National Award, called it the biggest validation an artist can receive. "It is the highest honour that is presented to you by your country. I don't think I will be able to express how I am feeling right now," she said, adding that she still felt like a newcomer for whom everything is new and special. Years of patience and hard work, she said, led to that one moment.

The win lands soon after a setback for Dhurandhar on another stage. The film was in contention to be India's official entry to the Academy Awards but managed only 4 votes from the 14 member selection jury. A member of that jury reportedly said the panel did not think the film was Oscar material, and the Marathi film Gondhal went forward as India's entry to the 99th Academy Awards.

Article 370 is directed by Aditya Suhas Jambhale and casts Yami as field agent Zooni Haksar, with Priyamani, Arun Govil, Kiran Karmarkar, Raj Zutshi, Sumit Kaul and Raj Arjun around her. For Aditya, who also bankrolled the film, this is a second National Award, after the Best Director trophy he reportedly won for Uri: The Surgical Strike.