Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Saturday, 18 July 2026, congratulated the team behind the Garhwali film 'Dholi' after it received the prestigious Rajat Kamal (Silver Lotus) Award for Best Garhwali Film in the Feature Film category at the 72nd National Film Awards.

Posting on X, Dhami wrote, 'Badhai ho Uttarakhand!' ('Congratulations, Uttarakhand!'), calling the recognition a 'aitihasik evam gauravpurna uplabdhi' — a 'historic and glorious achievement' — for the state and for Uttarakhand cinema as a whole. He extended 'heartfelt congratulations and best wishes' to the film's director, producer, cast, and entire crew.

Context

The National Film Awards, administered by the Directorate of Film Festivals under the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, are India's highest state-conferred film honours. The awards include dedicated categories for regional-language films, a long-standing mechanism designed to promote the country's linguistic and cultural diversity in cinema. The 72nd edition covers films produced in 2024.

Garhwali is one of the two principal languages — alongside Kumaoni — spoken in Uttarakhand, a northern Himalayan state with a distinct folk heritage. Recognition at the national level for a Garhwali film marks a notable moment for a cinema tradition that has historically operated at the margins of mainstream Hindi and regional film industries.

Policy Backdrop

Chief Minister Dhami directly linked the award to his government's film policy, stating that the win is a 'positive result' of the new film policy implemented by his administration. Multiple Indian states have introduced targeted film incentive frameworks to encourage production in local languages and build cinema infrastructure, and Uttarakhand's policy follows that broader pattern.

BJP-governed states have increasingly pursued cultural assertion through cinema, pairing local-language promotion with participation in national award platforms. Dhami's government has positioned the film policy as part of a wider agenda to preserve and project the state's folk culture, vernacular languages, and performing arts traditions.

Stakeholders and Impact

The immediate beneficiaries are the filmmakers, artists, and technicians behind 'Dholi', whose work now carries a national imprimatur. More broadly, the win is likely to encourage further investment in Garhwali-language productions, both from independent creators and from state-supported channels.

Regional artists and cultural organisations in Uttarakhand have long advocated for greater visibility for Garhwali and Kumaoni cinema. A Rajat Kamal win provides a tangible benchmark and may strengthen the case for expanded production incentives or dedicated screening infrastructure in the state.

What's Next

Chief Minister Dhami expressed confidence that Uttarakhand cinema will 'continue to set new records' and carry the state's 'rich culture, folk language, and folk arts' to audiences across India and the world. Attention will now turn to whether the government follows the recognition with additional budgetary support or institutional backing for regional film production.

Future editions of the National Film Awards and state-supported festivals will serve as benchmarks for measuring whether this momentum translates into a sustained pipeline of Garhwali and Kumaoni films competing at the national level.