Yami Gautam won the National Film Award for Best Actress for her performance in Article 370.The winners of the 72nd National Film Awards were announced on Friday, with actors Mammootty, Kartik Aaryan, Yami Gautam, Sanjay Mishra, Ropashree Varkady, Sachana Namidass, and Dhanush among the biggest winners. Kartik and Mammootty share the Best Actor award for Chandu Champion and Bramayugam, respectively. Yami Gautam won Best Actress for Article 370, while Dhanush received a Special Mention for Captain Miller. His directorial venture Raayan was also named Best Tamil Film. As congratulatory messages pour in, the winners have begun reacting to the prestigious honour.Yami Gautam wins her first National AwardYami Gautam has also won her first National Film Award. The actor, who made her Bollywood debut with Vicky Donor (2012), has been honoured with the Best Actress award for her performance in Article 370. Expressing her happiness over the recognition, Yami tweeted, “Every journey has a moment that reminds you why you never gave up. Today is that moment for me. Receiving the National Award for Article 370 is an honour I will cherish for the rest of my life. For fourteen years, I have simply tried to stay true to my craft, work with honesty and let my performances speak for themselves. This honour feels like the culmination of a journey filled with hope, perseverance, resilience and an unwavering love for cinema. It is a dream I have carried in my heart for years and today, I receive it with immense gratitude and humility. Article 370 was never just another film for me. It was a story I deeply believed in. The fact that it was our home production makes this recognition even more emotional and personal. Every challenge, every conversation and every day on set was driven by one shared purpose, to tell this story with honesty and conviction. My heartfelt gratitude to the Honourable Jury for this incredible recognition, to our visionary director, our phenomenal cast and crew and to every member of the audience who embraced Article 370 with such love and belief. You reminded us that meaningful stories will always find their way to people’s hearts. To my family, my team, my well-wishers and everyone who believed in me through every high and every low, thank you. Your faith gave me the strength to keep moving forward, even when the destination seemed far away. This award is not the end of a dream, it is the beginning of a greater responsibility. To keep growing, to keep taking risks and to keep telling stories that matter. Dreams do come true but only when passion refuses to give up. This one’s for every dreamer who is still waiting for their moment. Never stop believing.”ALSO READ | 72nd National Film Awards full winners listRandeep Hooda says he’s ‘still trying to process’ his winNew father Randeep Hooda emerged as one of the winners, taking home the National Award for Best Debut Director for his directorial venture Swatantrya Veer Savarkar. Reacting to the honour, Randeep said in a statement, “Being announced as the winner of the National Award for Best Debut Director for Swatantryaveer Savarkar is a moment I’m still trying to process. This film asked more of me than anything I’ve ever done. The journey of this film was filled with challenges at every juncture, but I’m glad we saw it through and overcame each of those. And despite that, somehow we kept finding the strength to move forward.”He added: “As an actor, co-writer and first-time director, I gave this film everything I had because I felt an immense responsibility towards telling Veer Savarkar’s story with sincerity and honesty. Whatever we endured while making this film is insignificant compared to the life he lived and the sacrifices he made. I am deeply grateful to my entire team for believing in this dream and standing by it through every high and low. This recognition belongs to all of us, and I hope it inspires more people, especially the younger generation, to discover and reflect on Veer Savarkar’s legacy.”Also Read – 72nd National Film Awards: Article 370, Amaran emerge as the biggest winnersDhanush earns double honoursDhanush enjoyed a double victory at the National Film Awards. While he received a Special Mention for his performance in Captain Miller, his directorial venture Raayan was adjudged Best Tamil Film. Reacting to the recognition, the actor-filmmaker said in a statement: “I’m truly humbled and overwhelmed to have received the National Award for Best Regional Film for Raayan and the National Award (Special Mention – Best Actor) for Captain Miller. My heartfelt gratitude to the esteemed National Film Awards jury and the selection committee. My sincere thanks to the press, media and the social media fraternity for their unwavering support throughout my career. This is my third National Award as an actor and my first National Award as a director. None of this would have been possible without my fans – the pillars of my strength. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. This recognition for Captain Miller is especially close to my heart because I have always believed it to be my finest performance to date. Receiving a Special Mention for a performance I hold so dearly makes this honour even more meaningful. And a first is always unforgettable. Winning my very first National Award as a Director for Raayan is a blessing I will cherish forever. And as I always say, Ennam pol vaazhkkaai, Har Har Mahadev.”