During the Chetak Screen Awards 2026, which took place on Sunday in Mumbai, the film “Sitaare Zameen Par,” featuring Aamir Khan, received the prestigious Courage in Cinema award. This accolade was presented by filmmaker and producer Karan Johar alongside producer Siddharth Roy Kapur, who honored the film’s director RS Prasanna and its cast.<\/p>\n
Sunil Grover, one of the evening’s hosts, provided a touching introduction to the film, highlighting its role as a catalyst for discussion rather than merely a narrative. He remarked, “Last year, a film emerged that transcended storytelling and sparked important conversations. Through this film, we gained insights into lives that differ from our own. It served as a reminder that everyone has the potential to shine like a star; they just need an opportunity. The Courage in Cinema award goes to a story that amplified empathy and championed acceptance. Let’s applaud ‘Sitaare Zameen Par.’<\/p>\n
Director RS Prasanna dedicated the award to the film’s actors and Aamir Khan, expressing, “I learned the true meaning of courage from all the stars in this film and others like them who welcomed us into their lives. Thank you for transforming every ounce of hatred and ridicule into laughter, applause, and love. A special thanks to Aamir Sir, who is one of the greatest producers, actors, and superstars globally, as well as to every member of our team.”<\/p>\n
For those unfamiliar, “Sitaare Zameen Par” showcased ten neurodivergent actors in lead roles, including individuals with autism, Down syndrome, and other conditions. The talented cast featured Aroush Datta, Gopi Krishnan Varma, Samvit Desai, Vedant Sharma, Ayush Bhansali, Ashish Pendse, Rishi Shahani, Rishabh Jain, Naman Mishra, and Simran Mangeshkar.<\/p>\n
The Chetak Screen Awards, recognized as one of India’s most esteemed film accolades, are organized by The Indian Express Group. These awards uphold the principle that artistic merit should be acknowledged based purely on integrity and respect within the industry. The nominees and winners for the 2026 awards were selected by the Screen Academy, a non-profit organization consisting of 53 respected filmmakers, artists, and cultural figures.<\/p>\n
The voting process was guided by evaluation criteria established by Dr. Priya Jaikumar, a cinema scholar from the University of Southern California, which adds a level of academic rigor typically absent from mainstream film awards. Among the voting members of the Screen Academy were 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.<\/p>\n
For those interested, the Chetak Screen Awards 2026 can be viewed live on YouTube, Sony Entertainment Television, and Sony LIV.<\/p>\n
Stay updated with the latest developments in the cinematic world by following Screen Digital on YouTube.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
During the Chetak Screen Awards 2026, which took place on Sunday in Mumbai, the film “Sitaare Zameen Par,” featuring Aamir Khan, received the prestigious Courage in Cinema award. This accolade was presented by filmmaker and producer Karan Johar alongside producer Siddharth Roy Kapur, who honored the film’s director RS Prasanna and its cast. Sunil Grover, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3145,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[228,87,40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3146","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bollywood","category-entertainment","category-india"],"yoast_head":"\n