Bilal Bashir Bhat | Onlykashmir.in News Desk
GUJRAT: Article 370, the political drama built around the events leading to the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, emerged as one of the major winners at the 72nd National Film Awards, securing three prestigious honours.
Yami Gautam Dhar was honoured with the Best Actress in a Leading Role award, while filmmaker Aditya Dhar received the Best Feature Film award. Shashwat Sachdev also won the Best Music Direction award for the film.
President Droupadi Murmu presented the honours at the ceremony in Ekta Nagar, Gujarat. For Yami Gautam, the award marked her first National Film Award. With a bright smile, she walked to the stage, greeted the gathering with a traditional namaste and received the honour from the President.
The Article 370 backdrop
Article 370 was incorporated into the Constitution of India to define the constitutional relationship between the Union and the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir. Over the decades, its provisions became central to political and constitutional debates surrounding the region. The Union government described Article 370 as a temporary provision and moved to alter its operation in August 2019. (Press Information Bureau)
On 5 August 2019, the Government of India issued the Constitution (Application to Jammu and Kashmir) Order, 2019 and introduced a resolution seeking the effective abrogation of Article 370, alongside the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill, 2019. Parliament approved the measures, and Jammu and Kashmir was subsequently reorganised into the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. (Press Information Bureau)
The move remains a major constitutional and political milestone in the history of Jammu and Kashmir, with its significance and consequences continuing to be debated from different perspectives.
From a constitutional turning point to the big screen
Released in 2024, Article 370 dramatises the events surrounding the government’s decision to remove the special constitutional provisions applicable to Jammu and Kashmir. The film follows fictional intelligence officer Zooni Haksar, played by Yami Gautam, and presents a fictionalised political and security narrative around the operation leading up to the 2019 decision. (IMDb)
Directed by Aditya Suhas Jambhale, the film was written by Aditya Dhar, Monal Thaakar and Jambhale. It stars Yami Gautam, Priyamani and Arun Govil, with Priyamani portraying a senior government official involved in the mission depicted in the film. (IMDb)
The film combines political drama, intelligence operations and action with its portrayal of Kashmir’s security and political landscape. While based around real events, its characters and several narrative elements are presented through the conventions of cinematic storytelling rather than as a documentary record. (IMDb)
Three National Awards turn the spotlight on the film
The Best Feature Film award was received by Aditya Dhar, adding another major recognition to the film’s journey. The honour came alongside Yami Gautam’s Best Actress award and Shashwat Sachdev’s Best Music Direction award.
Reacting to the achievement, Aditya Dhar described the three-award recognition as a landmark moment. In an emotional social-media post, he expressed gratitude to the National Awards jury and audiences who watched, supported and debated the film.
For Yami Gautam, the ceremony represented a personal milestone, while for the makers of Article 370, the three National Awards placed the film among the most prominently recognised productions of the 72nd edition.
Instituted in 1954, the National Film Awards recognise excellence across Indian cinema. The 72nd edition also broke with tradition by moving the ceremony from New Delhi to Ekta Nagar, Gujarat, reflecting the government’s stated plan to take future editions to different parts of the country under the theme of “Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat.”
For a film that transformed one of Jammu and Kashmir’s most consequential constitutional episodes into a mainstream cinematic narrative, the National Awards have now added an important new chapter — three national honours in a single evening.
