The Chetak Screen Awards 2026 highlighted the evolving landscape of cinema, where streaming platforms are becoming as vital as traditional theaters. Acknowledging this shift, the awards included a category specifically for outstanding achievements in the OTT sector. This year, the accolade for Best OTT Film was awarded to “Stolen,” featuring Abhishek Banerjee in the lead role.
“Stolen” triumphed over several notable contenders, including Arati Kadav’s “Mrs,” Honey Trehan’s “Raat Akeli Hai – The Bansal Murders,” Anusha Rizvi’s “The Great Shamsuddin Family,” and Boman Irani’s “The Mehta Boys.”
The award was presented during a glamorous ceremony in Mumbai on Sunday, April 5, by Saurabh Shukla and Guneet Monga. The event was hosted by Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt, along with comedians Zakir Khan and Sunil Grover, and prominent journalist Saurabh Dwivedi, who serves as the Hindi Editor for The Indian Express.
After a wave of requests from fans globally, India’s most esteemed film awards have made a remarkable comeback, offering a more expansive and enhanced experience. The Chetak Screen Awards stand out for their commitment to a transparent selection process, which emphasizes the merit of artistic work over external influences.
To uphold this standard, the Screen Academy—a non-profit organization comprising 53 distinguished filmmakers and cultural figures—was established to oversee the nomination and selection of winners through a meticulous and unbiased process.
The evaluation process began with an extensive shortlist of films released in 2025, encompassing both theatrical and OTT releases. The Screen Academy then conducted structured voting to determine the finalists. Dr. Priya Jaikumar, who chairs the Cinema and Media Studies department at the University of Southern California, created comprehensive grading criteria to guide the Academy’s analysis.
Films were assessed based on creativity, viewer engagement, technical excellence, and innovation, with an additional criterion of authenticity added for performance categories. The finalists were determined through a thorough and detailed review process.
The esteemed members of the Screen Academy include notable figures such as 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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