The Chetak Screen Awards 2026 celebrated the finest of Hindi cinema and OTT content at a star-studded ceremony in Mumbai on April 5. Director Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound was named Best Film, with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Reliance Foundation founder Nita Ambani presenting the award.
Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar emerged as the evening’s biggest winner, sweeping 14 awards, including Best Director for Dhar.
Ranveer Singh won Best Actor (Male) for his performance in Dhurandhar, while Yami Gautam was awarded Best Actor (Female) for Haq.
Supporting acting honours went to Akshaye Khanna (Dhurandhar) and Shalini Vatsa (Homebound).
Key technical wins for Dhurandhar included Best Cinematography, Editing, Costume, Sound Design, Special Effects, Choreography, and Action.
The awards introduced five OTT categories this year. Sanya Malhotra won Best Actor (Female) – OTT Film for Mrs, while Abhishek Banerjee won Best Actor (Male) – OTT Film for Stolen, which also took Best OTT Film, Best Director – OTT, and Best Script.
The ceremony, hosted by Alia Bhatt, Sunil Grover, Zakir Khan, and Saurabh Dwivedi, blended glamour with heartfelt tributes.
A special ‘In Memoriam’ segment honoured film personalities lost in 2025. Veteran actor Dharmendra received the Lifetime Achievement Award, accepted by his son Bobby Deol, who highlighted his father’s belief in spreading happiness, gratitude, and nurturing individual talents.
Other notable winners included Haq for Best Film for Gender Sensitivity, Basharat Peer, Neeraj Ghaywan, and Sumit Roy for Best Story & Screenplay (Homebound), and music awards to Gulzar (Best Lyrics), Shreya Ghoshal (Best Female Playback), and Faheem Abdullah (Best Male Playback) for Saiyaara.
Breakthrough awards went to Shazia Iqbal (Director, Dhadak 2), Aneet Padda (Actress, Saiyaara), and Ahaan Panday (Actor, Saiyaara).
Instituted by The Indian Express Group, the awards are determined by the Screen Academy, an independent 53-member body of filmmakers and artists, following a transparent evaluation system based on creativity, technical excellence, innovation, viewer connection, and authenticity.
The 2026 edition highlighted not only cinematic excellence in films and OTT but also reinforced the global rise of Indian content, with Dhurandhar dominating the technical and mainstream categories, while Homebound and Stolen showcased storytelling and performance strengths, particularly in sensitive and OTT-centric narratives. (ANI)
