New Delhi – 2025
The 72nd National Film Awards have marked a quiet revolution in Indian cinema. This year’s honours weren’t dominated by the glitz of mainstream Bollywood, but by thesoulful, rooted storytelling of India’s regional industries—withMalayalam and Marathi films emerging as the night’s true torchbearers.
From minimalist dramas and lyrical social commentaries to sharply crafted thrillers, regional filmmakers not only walked away with trophies—they left behind a clear message:India’s cinematic future is multilingual, hyperlocal, and emotionally universal.
The Big Winners
- Best Feature Film: Kaazhcha Nadi (Malayalam)
A haunting exploration of river displacement and memory, Kaazhcha Nadi tells the story of a boatman whose ancestral river slowly vanishes. Directed by newcomer Akhil Dev, the film was praised for its poetic visuals and political restraint. - Best Director: Smita Jadhav for Paayal (Marathi)
Paayal, a coming-of-age drama set in a drought-prone village, tracks the inner world of a teenage girl who finds solace in percussion dancing amid rural patriarchy. Jadhav’s direction was hailed for marrying realism with lyricism, a trait increasingly associated with Marathi cinema’s recent renaissance. - Best Actor: Tovino Thomas for Mezhukuthiri (Malayalam)
In a performance critics called “inwardly volcanic,” Thomas played a widower navigating guilt, grief, and unexpected fatherhood. This marks his second National Award win, cementing his status as one of India’s most versatile leading men. - Best Screenplay: Navra Maza Navsacha 2 (Marathi)
A sharp, bittersweet satire on urban masculinity and generational debt, the film’s writing was lauded for its emotional clarity beneath comedic layers.
Why Regional Cinema Is Thriving
1. Storytelling Rooted in Place, Yet Emotionally Expansive
Whether it’s a fisherman in Kerala, a tribal poet in Chhattisgarh, or a Dalit teacher in rural Rajasthan—regional films are diving deep intostories often untouched by the Hindi film lens, making them resonant not despite their specificity, but because of it.
2. Innovation Over Spectacle
In the absence of bloated budgets, regional directors are choosing innovation—usingnatural light, non-actors, handheld cameras, and local dialectsto deliver authenticity over gloss.
3. Streaming Platforms and Film Festivals
OTT platforms and regional film festivals have helped these stories find larger audiences. A well-subtitled Malayalam or Assamese film now travels faster than ever—from village to urban cinephile and beyond India’s borders.
The Bollywood Question
While Hindi cinema made its presence felt with a few wins in categories like Best Playback Singer and Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment (Raagistan),its absence from the top narrative awards signals a creative reset.
Bollywood’s commercial preoccupations and formulaic trends, some critics argue, may be stifling its risk appetite—while regional filmscontinue to lead in emotional courage and thematic complexity.
Final Word
India’s cinema has never been one monolith—but the awards this year have made it official:the era of the “one-language blockbuster” is fading.
Instead, we are witnessing a new filmic future—one where a whisper in Marathi or a sigh in Malayalam carries as much power as any Hindi dialogue ever could.
Because in every corner of the country, someone is telling a story that could change the world—if we’re finally ready to listen.
