Dhami hails 'Dholi' team as Garhwali film wins first National Film Award
Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami congratulated the team of Garhwali film 'Dholi' after it won Best Garhwali Feature Film at the 72nd National Film Awards.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Wednesday congratulated the team behind the Garhwali film 'Dholi' after it was named Best Garhwali Feature Film at the 72nd National Film Awards, describing the honour as a moment of recognition for the state's folk language, culture and traditions.
In a post on X, Dhami extended his greetings and best wishes to the entire team and said the award would help carve out a fresh identity for the Garhwali language and its culture across the country. He noted that this was the first occasion on which a film made in the Garhwali dialect of Uttarakhand had received a National Film Award.
The chief minister added that sustained efforts are under way in the state to encourage filmmaking in regional languages and dialects. He said the accomplishment of 'Dholi' would inspire young filmmakers and artists in Uttarakhand to build stories rooted in their own heritage. The film is directed by Dinesh Bhonsle.
The recognition has drawn fresh attention to Garhwali cinema and to the wider role regional films play in preserving local languages, traditions and stories.
At the same ceremony, veteran actor Anant Nag was conferred the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for his contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema. Randeep Hooda took the Best Debut Film of a Director award for his biographical drama 'Swatantrya Veer Savarkar'.
Yami Gautam was honoured as Best Actor for 'Article 370' and Kartik Aaryan for 'Chandu Champion', while Mammootty received his fourth National Film Award for his performance in 'Bramayugam'. Rajkumar Periasamy was named Best Director for 'Amaran'.
'Article 370' also won Best Feature Film, and 'Kalki 2898 AD' was named Best Feature Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. Among the language categories, 'Srikanth' was named Best Hindi Film, 'Raayan' Best Tamil Film, 'Feminichi Fathima' Best Malayalam Film and 'Committee Kurrollu' Best Telugu Film.
Instituted in 1954, the National Awards are among Indian cinema's most prestigious honours, recognising excellence across feature films, non-feature films and writing on cinema, and spanning a wide range of languages, regions and forms of filmmaking. The 72nd edition was held in Gujarat for the first time, at Kevadia, known for the 182-metre statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.