Yami Gautam’s Best Actress win for ‘Article 370’ at the 72nd National Film Awards has drawn praise from across the industry but it was filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma’s message that stood out for its personal touch. In a note shared on X (formerly Twitter), Varma looked past the trophy itself to celebrate the years of struggle and conviction he believes shaped Yami’s performance and, ultimately, her win.
Ram Gopal Varma pens a heartfelt note for Yami Gautam
Sharing his thoughts on X (previously Twitter) on Sunday, Varma opened by noting that while he has never personally put much stock in the idea of awards, he does believe in the value of recognition when it’s built on genuine, long-standing commitment to one’s craft. He went on to describe Yami’s win as especially meaningful because Article 370 wasn’t just another assignment for her, it was a story she believed in deeply and fought to bring to the screen.Varma then turned to what he called the real achievement behind the award: the years of struggle, determination and faith that shaped Yami’s career long before this recognition arrived. He wrote that he was personally more moved by everything that built up to the moment, the setbacks, the risks taken, and the refusal to quit than by the award itself, describing her career as something constructed “brick by brick,” with more milestones still to come.
‘Article 370’ wins big at the 72nd National Film Awards
‘Article 370’ emerged as one of the standout winners at this year’s National Film Awards, picking up three honours in total — Best Actress for Yami Gautam, Best Feature Film, and Best Music. The 72nd National Film Awards were decided by an 11-member Central Jury chaired by veteran Malayalam filmmaker Jayaraj, who led the panel through its review of entries submitted from across the country.Directed by Aditya Suhas Jambhale, ‘Article 370’ is a gripping political action thriller. Yami Gautam delivers a powerhouse performance as Zooni Haksar, a fierce intelligence officer navigating deep-rooted local insurgency, cross-border terrorism and complex legal loopholes alongside a tight-knit government task force. The film features a stellar ensemble cast including Priyamani, Skand Thakur, Ashwini Kaul, Vaibhav Tatwawadi, Kiran Karmarkar and Arun Govil. Co-written by Aditya Dhar, Monal Thaakar and Arjun Dhawan, the narrative tightly weaves the intense bureaucratic, political, and ground-level intelligence operations that culminated in the historic 2019 revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status under the Indian Constitution.