Akshay Kumar Congratulates Aanand L Rai After National Award Win For Statue Of Unity: Ekta Ka Prateek

National Awards announced July 18, 2026. Aanand L Rai won Best Director (non-feature) for Statue of Unity.

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It was a win for many Bollywood personalities on July 18, 2026, as the National Awards were announced. Director Aanand L Rai was declared Best Director in the non-feature film category, for Statue of Unity: Ekta Ka Prateek. Rai’s documentary was presented by Akshay Kumar.

In a conversation with HT City, Akshay reacted to this big honour saying, “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.”

The winners were announced by Feature Film Jury Chairperson Jayaraj, Non-Feature Film Jury Chairperson Aseem Sinha, and Best Writing on Cinema Jury Chairperson A. Chandrasekhar. The announcement

was made in the presence of Dr. Ajay Nagabhushan M.N., Joint Secretary (Films), and Dhirendra Ojha, Principal Director General of the Press Information Bureau (PIB).

Meanwhile, here’s the complete list of winners:

Best Feature Film: Article 370

Best Actress: Yami Gautam (Article 370)

Best Actor: Kartik Aaryan (Chandu Champion), Mammootty (Bramayugam)

Best Direction: Rajkumar Periasamy (Amaran)

Popular Movie Providing Wholesome Entertainment: Kalki 2898 AD

Best Debut Director: Randeep Hooda (Swatantrya Veer Savarkar)

Best Hindi Film: Srikanth

Best Telugu Film: Committee Kurrollu

Best Tamil Film: Raayan

Best Odia Film: Lahari

Best Marathi Film: Mukkam Post Bombilwadi