The 72nd National Film Awards winner list is not without its flaws. Not every widely-loved film was recognised.
Tamil drama Meiyazhagan (dubbed as Sathyam Sundaram in Telugu, starring Karthi and Aravind Swami) received only a special mention, for sound mixing. Malayalam hit Manjummel Boys, which had swept 10 awards at the Kerala state level, did not win any national honours. As per a theory, "the jury concluded it would not be appropriate to confer an award on the film due to allegations of financial irregularities" (as per a Mathrubhumi report).
Dhanush’s Raayan won Best Tamil Film. This choice triggered online trolling. Critics argued that Meiyazhagan, Maharaja, or Vaazhai deserved it more. Some also questioned Amaran’s background score win over stronger contenders. Social media erupted with disappointment. Others pointed to Vikram's Thangalaan as another surprising snub.
Maidaan, the Ajay Devgn-starrer biographical sports drama, was one of the Bollywood films expected to do well but ended up with only a single award: Best Lyrics for Manoj Muntashir ("Jaane Do"). Laapataa Ladies is another Hindi movie that got spurned.
In Telugu, many feel that Prasanth Varma's HanuMan deserved at least a Special Mention.
Netizens said the jury lost credibility by overlooking genuine crowd favourites.
