The Chetak Screen Awards 2026 made a spectacular return after a seven-year break, featuring a glamorous evening hosted by Alia Bhatt, Farah Khan, Sunil Grover, Zakir Khan, and Saurabh Dwivedi. The event attracted numerous prominent figures from the film industry, including Vicky Kaushal, Karan Johar, and Bobby Deol.
During the festivities, seasoned actor Anupam Kher shared moments from the gala on social media, describing it as “grand,” “authentic,” and profoundly meaningful.
In his Instagram post following the event, Kher expressed, “WELCOME BACK SCREEN AWARDS! AFTER SEVEN LONG YEARS!🏆😍 What a grand evening—beautifully curated, incredibly professional, and so authentic in its spirit. It truly felt special to be a part of it. 😍👏 The highlight of my evening was meeting my wonderful friends from Dilkhush Special School, who acted in Sitare Zameen Par. Their joy, their honesty, and their sheer love for life lit up the entire room. They reminded me once again why stories like these matter.❤️🩹❤️🩹🥹 Met some of my favourite people too! Including the wonderful Mrs. #NitaAmbani and my darling @aliaabhatt! Heartiest congratulations to #AnantGoenka and #PriyankaJha and the entire team of @ieentertainment and @indianexpress for bringing back the awards with such dignity and excellence.😎🫡🎬 Here’s to celebrating cinema, talent, and the magic that connects us all. Congratulations to all nominees and winners! Jai Ho! 🎬”
Anupam Kher also had the honor of presenting the Breakthrough New Actor (Male) award, which was awarded to Ahaan Panday for his role in Saiyaara. He faced tough competition from nominees such as Mohit Agarwal (Agra), Aaman Devgan (Azaad), Samuel Abiola Robinson (Dilli Dark), and Aishvary Thackeray (Nishaanchi). Additionally, Ahaan’s co-star Aneet Padda won the Breakthrough New Actor (Female) award.
Dhurandhar emerged as the standout film of the night, clinching a remarkable 14 awards, including Best Actor (Male) for Ranveer Singh, Best Director for Aditya Dhar, and Best Supporting Actor (Male) for Akshaye Khanna. The film also excelled in various technical categories, such as editing, sound design, cinematography, and action, sharing the Best Costume award with Chhaava.
Yami Gautam received the Best Actor (Female) award for her performance in Haq, which also garnered the Best Film for Gender Sensitivity award under the direction of Suparn Verma. Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound was another notable winner, earning accolades for Best Film, Best Writing, and Best Supporting Actor (Female) for Shalini Vatsa.
The ceremony also honored veteran actor Dharmendra with a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by Javed Akhtar alongside Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and filmmaker Ramesh Sippy. The award was accepted by his son, Bobby Deol.
In the OTT category, Stolen, directed by Karan Tejpal, shone brightly, winning four awards, including Best Film, Best Actor for Abhishek Banerjee, and Best Script. Sanya Malhotra was recognized as Best OTT Actor (Female) for her role in Mrs., a remake of The Great Indian Kitchen.
The Chetak Screen Awards, organized by The Indian Express Group, are esteemed as one of India’s most credible film awards, celebrating excellence through processes grounded in fairness and peer assessment. The winners are chosen by the Screen Academy, an independent nonprofit organization comprised of 53 distinguished filmmakers, artists, and cultural figures.
Once nominations are confirmed, Academy members cast their votes through a comprehensive and structured system. This procedure is guided by an evaluation model created by Priya Jaikumar from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, focusing on creative vision, technical skill, audience impact, and innovation, while performances are judged for authenticity.
The Academy boasts a diverse representation from the film industry, with members that include Shoojit Sircar, Deepa Mehta, Sriram Raghavan, Ram Madhvani, Guneet Monga Kapoor, John Abraham, Kabir Khan, Karan Johar, Mukesh Chhabra, Payal Kapadia, Prosenjit Chatterjee, Rajkumar Hirani, Resul Pookutty, Rima Das, and Vidya Balan, among others.
Catch the Chetak Screen Awards 2026 on YouTube.
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