Yami Gautam expressed her gratitude to the jury, the audience, her family and her well-wishers for the recognition.
The 72nd National Film Awards were announced on Saturday, and Article 370 won the Best Feature Film. Actor Yami Gautam won the National Film Award for Best Actor (Female) for her performance in the 2024 release. She took to her X account to pen a heartfelt note on this recognition, noting how she has dreamt of winning the award for years and continued to stay true to her craft.
‘It was a story I deeply believed in’
In her note, she began, “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.”
She went on to add, “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.”
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…
— Yami Gautam Dhar (@yamigautam) July 18, 2026
“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,” she added.
Concluding the note, she wrote, “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.”
