The Chetak Screen Awards 2026 recognized outstanding achievements in hairstyling and make-up, featuring a competitive lineup of five notable Bollywood films from the previous year. Preetisheel Singh D’souza, representing the film Dhurandhar, was awarded the prestigious honor, surpassing other nominees including Shrikant Desai for Chhaava, Elizabeth Lawson Zeiss and Dhananjay M. Prajapat for Emergency, Khyati Malhotra for Homebound, and the team of Tarannum Khan, Avan Contractor, and Dianne Commissariat for Superboys of Malegaon.
The ceremony was hosted by renowned Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt, along with comedians Zakir Khan and Sunil Grover, and distinguished journalist Saurabh Dwivedi, who is the Hindi editor for The Indian Express.
The Chetak Screen Awards are organized by The Indian Express Group and are regarded as one of the most esteemed film accolades in India. These awards are awarded based on merit, promoting a celebration of cinema that is devoid of industry politics and commercial pressures. The winners for 2026 were selected by the Screen Academy, an independent and non-profit organization comprising 53 filmmakers, artists, and cultural influencers, ensuring a credible and trustworthy selection process.
Initially, the Academy shortlisted candidates before proceeding to a formal voting stage. To maintain fairness and consistency in evaluation, Dr. Priya Jaikumar, who leads the Cinema and Media Studies department at the University of Southern California and serves as a scholar-in-residence at the Screen Academy, developed comprehensive grading criteria for the voters.
The Academy is composed of a diverse group representing the best of Indian cinema from various eras and regions. Notable members include Shoojit Sircar, Deepa Mehta, Sriram Raghavan, Ram Madhvani, Guneet Monga Kapoor, John Abraham, Kabir Khan, Karan Johar, Mukesh Chhabra, Payal Kapadia, Prosenjit Chatterjee, RS Prasanna, Rajiv Menon, Rajkumar Hirani, Resul Pookutty, Rima Das, and Vidya Balan, among others.
Viewers can catch the Chetak Screen Awards 2026 live on YouTube, Sony Entertainment Television, and Sony LIV.
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