This is the current affairs 19 & 20 July 2026. Here are questions and answers of daily current affairs for better preparation of competitive exams for government jobs.
1. Who won the title of Best Feature Film at the 72nd National Film Awards?
a. 12th Fail
b. Article 370
c. Parking
d. Baby
Answer: b. Article 370 (Director: Aditya Suhas Jambhale)
– This film was directed by Aditya Suhas Jambhale.
About the Film
– ‘Article 370’ (2024) is a political action-thriller film based on the historic and strategic process of the removal of the special status of Jammu & Kashmir.
– Yami Gautam played the lead role in the film, for which she received the Best Actress award.
– Made on a budget of around ₹20 crore, the film earned approximately ₹110 crore at the worldwide box office.
For which year was the 72nd National Film Award presented?
– The 72nd National Film Awards have been presented for the year 2024.
– Jayaraj was the Chairperson of the Feature Film Jury of the 72nd National Film Awards, while Aseem Sinha was the Chairperson of the Non-Feature Film Jury.
The National Awards were started in 1954
– The National Film Awards are the most prestigious film awards in the country.
– They were instituted in 1954.
– The ceremony is organized by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, and the entire process is conducted under the supervision of the Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF). Thereafter, the President of India presents these awards.
What do National Award winners receive?
– National Award winners receive a Silver Lotus (Rajat Kamal) or Golden Lotus (Swarna Kamal) medal.
– Along with this, a cash prize is also awarded.
– However, in some categories, only the Swarna Kamal or Rajat Kamal is awarded.
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2. Who won the Best Actor (Leading Role) award at the 72nd National Film Awards?
a. Ajay Devgn and Aamir Khan
b. Vikrant Massey and Akshay Kumar
c. Mammootty and Kartik Aaryan
d. Shah Rukh Khan and Vikrant Massey
Answer: c. Mammootty and Kartik Aaryan [Mammootty for the film Bramayugam (Malayalam) and Kartik Aaryan for Chandu Champion (Hindi)]
– Mammootty and Kartik Aaryan jointly received the Best Actor award.
Mammootty
– He received the Best Actor award for his lead role in the film Bramayugam (Malayalam).
– This is his fourth National Film Award.
– Active for the past five decades, Mammootty has acted in more than 400 films during his career.
– He has been honored with the Padma Shri by the Government of India.
Kartik Aaryan
– He received the Best Actor award for his lead role in the film Chandu Champion (Hindi).
– His outstanding performance and physical transformation in the film were highly appreciated.
– He made his debut in 2011 with the film Pyaar Ka Punchnama, in which his long monologue became extremely famous.
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3. Who received the Best Actress (Leading Role) award at the 72nd National Film Awards?
a. Yami Gautam
b. Rani Mukerji
c. Kangana Ranaut
d. Rashmika Mandanna
Answer: a. Yami Gautam {Article 370 (Hindi)}
– She received the Best Actress award for her lead role in the film Article 370.
– Her powerful performance as a courageous intelligence officer in the film ‘Article 370’ was highly appreciated by both audiences and critics.
– She began her career with television advertisements and serials.
– In 2012, she made an impressive Bollywood debut with the film Vicky Donor alongside Ayushmann Khurrana.
– She has proved her acting talent in several critically acclaimed and commercially successful films such as Kaabil, Uri: The Surgical Strike, Bala, A Thursday, and OMG 2.
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4. Which director received the Best Direction award at the 72nd National Film Awards?
a. Rishab Shetty
b. Ashima Chibber
c. Sooraj R. Barjatya
d. Rajkumar Periasamy
Answer: d. Rajkumar Periasamy {Film: Amaran (Tamil)}
– He received the Best Direction award for the film Amaran (Tamil).
– He is a highly talented and emerging film director and writer in Tamil cinema.
– The film ‘Amaran’ is based on the life and supreme sacrifice in Kashmir of the brave Indian Army martyr Major Mukund Varadarajan (Ashoka Chakra awardee).
– Sivakarthikeyan and Sai Pallavi played the lead roles in the film.
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5. Which feature film won the Best Hindi Film award at the 72nd National Film Awards?
a. Sam Bahadur
b. Srikanth
c. Jawan
d. Pushpa (The Rise Part II)
Answer: b. Srikanth (Director: Tushar Hiranandani)
– The film is based on the true story of the struggle and extraordinary success of visually impaired Indian industrialist Srikanth Bolla.
– Rajkummar Rao portrayed the character of Srikanth. His body language, eye movements, and portrayal of the character’s emotional journey were performed with such dedication that critics regarded it as one of the finest performances of his career.
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6. Which film won the award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment at the 72nd National Film Awards?
a. Ek Tha Gaon
b. Flowering Man
c. Kalki 2898 AD (Telugu)
d. Aayena (Mirror)
Answer: c. Kalki 2898 AD (Telugu) {Director: Nag Ashwin Singireddy}
– It is a science-fiction action film.
– The story of the film begins in the Dwapara Yuga (Mahabharata era) and takes the audience into the future in the year 2898 AD.
– Made on a massive budget of around ₹600 crore, the film created a sensation at the box office by collecting more than ₹1,000 crore worldwide.
– Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan, and Deepika Padukone acted in the film.
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7. Best Feature Film awards in various languages at the 72nd National Film Awards:
Best Feature Films in some languages included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution
– Hindi: Srikanth (Director: Tushar Hiranandani)
– Assamese: Juiphool (Director: Jadumoni Dutta)
– Bengali: Chalachitra Ekhon (Director: Anjan Dutt)
– Gujarati: Maran (Director: Abhishek Jain)
– Kannada: Mithya (Director: Sumanth Bhat)
– Konkani: Mog Asum (Directors: Radheshyam Pipalwa and Agnelo Angelo Braganza)
– Malayalam: Feminichi Fathima (Director: Fazil Mohammed)
– Manipuri: Sunita (Director: Yumnam Ajit Singh)
– Marathi: Mukkam Post Bombilwadi (Director: Paresh Mokashi)
– Odia: Lahari (Director: Amartya Bhattacharya)
– Tamil: Raayan (Director: Dhanush)
– Telugu: Committee Kurrollu (Director: Yadu Vamsi)
Best Feature Films in Other Languages
– Garhwali: Dholi (Director: Dinesh P. Bhonsle)
– Tulu: Imbu (Director: Shivadhwaj Shetty)
– Special Mention: Captain Miller (Actor: Dhanush) and Meiyazhagan (Tamil) {Film Sound Mix Engineer: Suren G.}
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8. 72nd National Film Awards, 2024: Feature Film Award List:
1. Best Feature Film: Article 370 (Hindi), Director: Aditya Suhas Jambhale
2. Best Actor (Leading Role): Mammootty {Film: Bramayugam (Malayalam)} and Kartik Aaryan {Chandu Champion (Hindi)}
3. Best Actress (Leading Role): Yami Gautam {Article 370 (Hindi)}
4. Best Direction: Director Rajkumar Periasamy {Film: Amaran (Tamil)}
5. Best Music Direction: Shashwat Sachdev {Article 370 (Hindi)} and G. V. Prakash Kumar {Amaran (Tamil)}
6. Best Lyrics (Best Song): Rajat Kamal {Maidaan (Hindi)}
7. Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment: Kalki 2898 AD (Telugu), Director: Nag Ashwin Singireddy
8. Best Feature Film Promoting National, Social and Environmental Values: Captain Miller (Tamil), Director: Arun Matheswaran
9. Best Debut Film of a Director: Swatantrya Veer Savarkar (Hindi), Director: Randeep Hooda
10. Best Children’s Film: 35 – Chinna Katha Kaadu (Telugu), Director: Nanda Kishore Emani
11. Best Supporting Actor: Sanjay Mishra {Bhakshak (Hindi)}
12. Best Supporting Actress: Sachana Namidass {Maharaja (Tamil)} and Rupashri Varakadi {Mithya (Kannada)}
13. Best Child Artist (Leading Role): Aatish S. Shetty {Mithya (Kannada)}, Arun Dev Pothula {35 – Chinna Katha Kaadu (Telugu)}, and Riddhiman Banerjee, Tapomoy Deb, Geetashree Chakraborty {Onko Ki Kothin (Bengali)}
14. Best Playback Singer (Male): Abhay Jodhpurkar (for the song: Navasachi Gauri Mazi) {Gharat Ganpati (Marathi)}
15. Best Playback Singer (Female): Vaikom Vijayalakshmi (for the song: Angu Vana Konilu) {A.R.M. (Malayalam)}
16. Best Cinematography: Shehnad Jalal {Bramayugam (Malayalam)}
17. Best Screenplay (Original): Screenplay Writers: B. Sukumar {Pushpa: The Rule Part-02 (Telugu)}, Yogesh Deshpande {Swargandharva Sudhir Phadke (Marathi)}, and Venky Atluri {Lucky Baskhar (Telugu)}
18. Best Sound Design: Manas Chaudhary {Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 (Hindi)}
19. Best Editing: R. Kalaivanan {Amaran (Tamil)}
20. Best Production Design: Nitin Zihani Choudhary {Kalki 2898 AD (Telugu)}
21. Best Costume Design: Deepali Noor and Sheetal Sharma {Pushpa: The Rule Part-02 (Telugu)}
22. Best Makeup: P. Ravi Kumar {Samiti Kurrollu (Telugu)}
23. Best Choreography: Manoj Muntashir (for the song: Jaane Do) {Stree 2 (Hindi)}
24. Best Action Direction (Stunt Choreography): Vijay Ganguly (for the song: Aaj Ki Raat) {Maharaja (Tamil)}
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Non-Feature Film Awards
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9. Which non-feature film won the Best Film award at the 72nd National Film Awards?
a. Ek Tha Gaon
b. Beyond Blast
c. Flowering Man
d. Bhangar
Answer: d. Bhangar (Marathi & English) {Director: Sumira Roy}
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10. 72nd National Film Awards: 2024 Non-Feature Film Category Awards:
1. Best Non-Feature Film: Bhangar (Marathi & English) {Director: Sumira Roy}
2. Best Debut Film of a Director: Aangen (Santhali) {Director: Ravi Raj Murmu}
3. Best Biographical / Historical Reconstruction / Compilation Film: Kakori (Hindi) {Director: Kamlesh K. Mishra}
4. Best Arts / Culture Film: Main Nida (Hindi) {Director: Atul Pandey}
5. Best Documentary Film: Ram-Nami (Hindi) {Director: Bharatbala Ganapati}
6. Best Non-Feature Film Promoting Social and Environmental Values: Piplantri – A Tale of Eco Feminism (Hindi, Rajasthani & English) {Director: Suraj Kumar}
7. Best Animation Film: Touched As Water (Silent) {Animator: Joshi Benedict}
8. Best Short Film (up to 30 minutes): Humsafar (Marathi) {Director: Abhijeet Arvind Dalvi}
9. Best Direction: Anand L. Rai {Statue of Unity – Ekta Ka Prateek (Hindi)}
10. Best Cinematography: Edmund Ranson {Life in Loom (English, Tamil, Hindi, Assamese & Bengali)}
11. Best Sound Design: T. S. Hari Har Sudhan {Blue (Tamil)}
12. Best Editing: Manveer Jasrotia {NDA (Hindi)}
13. Best Music Direction: Shivpal Singh Kang {Parat 41°chya Magwar (On the Trail of 41°) (Marathi)}
14. Best Voice Over (Best Narration): Soundarya Jayachandran {Little Planet: A Tale of Frogs (English)}
15. Best Script (Screenplay): Faraz Ali {Obur (Hindi & Kashmiri)}
16. Special Mention: Bhadra-Kali Natakam (Malayalam), Director: Anand Jyoti (Jose Antony), and Chola Dora and Sui (Hindi), Directors: Jaimin Modi and Lokesh Ghai
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11. Who was selected as the author of the Best Book on Cinema at the 72nd National Film Awards?
a. Kenchanuru Pradeep Kumar Shetty
b. Ajay Kumar Saxena
c. Vinay Agrawal
d. Rajesh Naval Das
Answer: a. Kenchanuru Pradeep Kumar Shetty (Book: Naniruvude Nimagagi Nadiruvude Nanagagi: Kannada Cinemada Tatva Mattu Rajakiya)
– Author: Kenchanuru Pradeep Kumar Shetty
– Book Title: Naniruvude Nimagagi Nadiruvude Nanagagi: Kannada Cinemada Tatva Mattu Rajakiya
– Publisher: Mirror Books
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12. Who won the title of Best Film Critic on Cinema at the 72nd National Film Awards?
a. Rajan Kumar
b. Ashwini Sharma
c. Ajay Vikram Singh
d. Sanjeev Srivastava
Answer: d. Sanjeev Srivastava (Hindi)
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13. Chairpersons of the Jury for the 72nd National Film Awards, 2024
– Chairperson of the Feature Film Jury: Jayaraj
– Chairperson of the Non-Feature Film Jury: Aseem Sinha
– Chairperson of the Best Writing on Cinema Jury: A. Chandrasekhar
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14. When is International Chess Day observed?
a. 19 July
b. 20 July
c. 18 July
d. 21 July
Answer: b. 20 July
– The International Chess Federation (FIDE) was established in Paris on 20 July 1924.
– Since then, International Chess Day has been celebrated every year on 20 July.
– The United Nations has also recognized and acknowledged this observance.
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15. Who became the new Commissioner of Delhi Police in July 2026?
a. Adi Prakash Sharma
b. Anurag Kumar
c. Satish Golcha
d. Ajay Raj Sharma
Answer: b. Anurag Kumar
– On 17 July 2026, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) removed Satish Golcha from the post of Delhi Police Commissioner.
– In his place, 1994-batch IPS officer Anurag Kumar was appointed for a tenure of three years.
– Earlier, he was serving as the Special Director in the Intelligence Bureau (IB).
– Anurag Kumar has also served as the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) in several districts of Delhi Police.
– He has been honored with the Police Medal in 2010 and the President’s Police Medal in 2016 for his distinguished services.
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