Kevadia, Sept. 22 -- The 72nd National Film Awards ceremony saw writer-director Aanand L Rai receive the Best Direction award in the non-feature film category for his documentary 'Statue Of Unity: Ekta Ka Prateek'. President Droupadi Murmu presented the award at a ceremony held in Ekta Nagar, Gujarat, on Tuesday.

The event was held outside New Delhi for the first time.

The 2024 documentary, narrated by Rai's longtime collaborator Akshay Kumar, looks at the making of the Statue of Unity and the legacy of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

Speaking to ANI after receiving the award, Rai said the recognition was special for him as it was his first National Award for a documentary. He also spoke about learning a new way of storytelling while making ...