Exclusive | Akshay Kumar reacts as Aanand L Rai wins National Award for Best Direction: Fortunate to have presented…

Filmmaker Aanand L Rai has been selected for the National Film Award for Best Direction.

Published on: Jul 18, 2026, 19:16:41 IST

By Rishabh Suri

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The National Film Awards announced on Saturday, for work which released in 2024, brought cheer for the Hindi film industry. And not just in the Feature Film section, but Non-Feature section too.

Filmmaker Aanand L Rai, known for his Tanu Weds Manu franchise and Raanjhanaa, has been declared Best Director in the non-feature film category, for Statue of Unity: Ekta Ka Prateek. It was a documentary presented by actor Akshay Kumar. And when HT City speaks to him, he can't contain his happiness, and how proud he feels of Aanand.

Also read: National Film Award winners: Mammooty, Kartik Aaryan share Best Actor Male, Yami Gautam Dhar is Best Actor Female

“I am delighted that Anand L Rai has received this honour for his brilliant direction of Statue of Unity - Ekta ka Prateek. I feel fortunate to have presented such an inspiring documentary on the landmark monument,” he says to us exclusively.

Apart from this, multiple other talent from Bollywood has been recognised at this national level stage. The National Film Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role award is shared between Mammooty for the Malayalam film Bramayugam, and Kartik Aaryan for the Hindi film Chandu Champion.

Yami Gautam Dhar, meanwhile has been chosen as Best Actor in a Leading Role- Female for Article 370. Sanjay Mishra's performance in Bhakshak won the Best Supporting Actor award.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rishabh Suri
Rishabh Suri is an Assistant Editor, film critic, and professional overthinker of plot points. He writes for HT City, keeping pace with an industry where news cycles expire long before the popcorn gets cold. He completed his graduation in English Honours from Kirori Mal College, followed by a Master’s degree in English Literature-effectively training his brain to over-analyse classic texts before applying those exact same skills to 3-hour Bollywood blockbusters. He got into the profession when he had barely graduated from college and has been at HT ever since. At HT, Rishabh reviews films with a simple rule: skip the dense academic jargon and get straight to the point. Beyond reviews, as Assistant Editor, he helps navigate the broader circus of showbiz, tracking everything from OTT shifts to sudden box office panics. In a beat driven by loud PR machinery and carefully scripted answers, Rishabh prefers cutting through the noise to focus on how stories get made and why trends shift. When he isn’t writing against a deadline, he is usually sitting in a dark theater, compulsively memorising dialogues. For Rishabh, analysing movies isn't just a day job- it’s a habit he couldn't turn off even if he tried.Read More

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