Filmmaker Rahul Dholakia has questioned the decision to move the National Film Awards ceremony from Delhi to Gujarat. He argued that if the decades-old tradition of hosting the ceremony in the national capital was being changed, the honour could instead have gone to a state or city with a significant contribution to Indian cinema, such as Maharashtra, Kerala, or Tamil Nadu.
Rahul Dholakia took to X (formerly Twitter) to react to the decision. He said that he had no particular preference for Delhi as the venue, but questioned why Gujarat had been chosen. “I have no particular love lost for Delhi hosting the National Film Awards, but I question the shift to Gujarat. Why Gujarat?” he wrote.
He went on to question why the tradition was being broken without choosing a place with a stronger cinematic legacy.
“Why are you breaking the tradition of presenting the award in another city/state - then why not give that honour to a state that has contributed to cinema? Like Maharashtra or Kerala or Tamil Nadu. Even a city like Hyderabad... why go to Gujarat?” he further wrote, ending his post with the hashtag #NationalFilmAwards.
I have no particular love lost for Delhi hosting the National Film Awards, but I question the shift to Gujarat. Why Gujarat? Why are you are breaking the tradition of presenting the award in another city/ state- then why not give that honor to a state that has contributed to…
— rahul dholakia (@rahuldholakia) September 8, 2026
Dholakia is himself a National Film Award recipient. He won the Best Director award in 2007 for Parzania, a film set against the backdrop of the 2002 Gujarat riots.
For the first time in the history of the National Film Awards, the ceremony is moving out of Delhi. Vigyan Bhawan, which hosted the first National Film Awards ceremony in 1954 and has been the venue for most editions since, will not host this year’s event.
The 72nd National Film Awards ceremony will instead be held in Kevadia, Gujarat, home to the Statue of Unity. President Droupadi Murmu is scheduled to present the honours at the ceremony on September 22.
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Randeep Hooda won Best Debut Director for Swatantrya Veer Savarkar. Nag Ashwin’s Telugu blockbuster Kalki 2898 AD won the award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment.
Arun Matheswaran’s Tamil thriller Captain Miller - headlined by Dhanush - won recognition for promoting national, social, and environmental values.
