Ekta Nagar: President Droupadi Murmu arrived in Ekta Nagar in Gujarat’s Narmada district on Monday, ahead of the 72nd National Film Awards ceremony scheduled to be held there on Tuesday.
Murmu was received at Ekta Nagar by Governor Acharya Devvrat, Protocol Minister Praful Pansheriya, Bharuch MP Mansukh Vasava, Nandod MLA Darshna Deshmukh, Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited Managing Director Mukesh Puri, District Collector Ganga Singh, District Superintendent of Police Vishakha Dabral, and senior government officials.
The President is scheduled to be the chief guest at the National Film Awards ceremony on September 22, where she will present awards to filmmakers, actors, technicians and other artistes for their achievements in Indian cinema during 2024.
The 72nd National Film Awards are being held at Ekta Nagar, as part of a decision by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to take the ceremony beyond Delhi and hold future editions in different states and cities.
The awards, instituted in 1954, recognise achievements across feature films, non-feature films and writing on cinema.
The winners for the 2024 edition were announced on July 18, with ‘Article 370’ named Best Feature Film, while Yami Gautam was adjudged Best Actress in a Leading Role for the film.
Mammootty and Kartik Aaryan shared the Best Actor in a Leading Role award for ‘Bramayugam’ and ‘Chandu Champion’, respectively.
Veteran actor Anant Nag will receive the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2024 at the ceremony for his contribution to Indian cinema and a career spanning more than five decades.
Other major winners include Rajkumar Periasamy, who was named Best Director for ‘Amaran’, while ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ won the award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. ‘Bhangaar’ was named Best Non-Feature Film and ‘Ram-Nami’ Best Documentary.
The President’s Gujarat visit runs from September 21 to 23. After the National Film Awards at Ekta Nagar, Murmu is scheduled to travel to Vadodara on September 23 to attend the 75th annual convocation of the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda.
She will also launch the Brahma Kumaris’ ‘Spiritual Awakening for World Renewal’ campaign and inaugurate the ‘Global Spiritual Palace’ Retreat Centre in Vadodara.
On the same day, she is scheduled to virtually launch the Brahma Kumaris Nadiad campaign, ‘Youth for Viksit Bharat: Awakening Inner Strength for Nation Building’.
Preparations for Tuesday’s ceremony were underway at Ekta Nagar on Monday, with filmmakers, actors, technicians and other members of the film fraternity expected to attend the national awards ceremony.
(IANS)
