Stories
National Film Awards: Unpacking Cash Prizes, Swarna Kamal, and Rajat Kamal Honors
- •The 72nd National Film Awards ceremony saw prominent figures like Anant Nag, Mammootty, Yami Gautam, Kartik Aaryan, and Dhanush receive honors from President Droupadi Murmu.
- •Winners receive a medal, certificate, and a cash prize, with amounts varying by category.
- •Major individual category winners like Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Director receive a Rajat Kamal or Swarna Kamal along with –2 lakh or –3 lakh.
- •Mammootty and Kartik Aaryan (Best Actor) and Yami Gautam (Best Actress) each received a Rajat Kamal and –2 lakh.
- •The Dadasaheb Phalke Award, given to Anant Nag, includes a –10 lakh cash prize, a Swarna Kamal medallion, and a shawl.
Key Questions Answered
Winners in major individual categories like Best Actor, Actress, and Director receive ₹2 lakh with a Rajat Kamal, while Golden Lotus categories such as Best Feature Film and Best Director award ₹3 lakh. The Dadasaheb Phalke Award winner receives a cash prize of ₹10 lakh alongside a Swarna Kamal medallion and a shawl.
The Swarna Kamal (Golden Lotus) is the highest honour awarded for top categories like Best Feature Film, Best Director, and Best Popular Film. In contrast, the Rajat Kamal (Silver Lotus) is awarded for categories including Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Music, and Editing.
Veteran actor Anant Nag was honoured with the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award at the ceremony held on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, in recognition of his immense contribution to cinema.
