Critics’ Choice Award 2026 Nominations: Bads Of Bollywood, Homebound, Dhurandhar Nominated In Major Categories

Mumbai, 10th March 2026: Film Critics Guild, India's first and only registered association of film critics, along with WPP Motion Entertainment, WPP's content investment, production, and distribution arm, today announced the nominations for the 8th edition of the Critics' Choice Awards.

The annual awards honour outstanding work across feature films, web series, and short films, while marking the second consecutive year of recognising excellence in documentary filmmaking. With nominations spanning multiple languages, formats, and platforms, the Critics' Choice Awards continue their mission of spotlighting diverse, original, and creatively ambitious storytelling from across India.

The Critics' Choice Awards (CCA) are voted on by 56 leading film critics from across the country, all members of the Film Critics Guild. The Guild is led by Anupama Chopra, Chairperson, Film Critics Guild, and Sucharita Tyagi, Vice-Chairperson, with Bharathi Pradhan serving as Treasurer.

What sets the Critics' Choice Awards apart is its pan-Indian jury of critics who watch and evaluate films, web series, documentaries, and short films across languages throughout the year. The awards have consistently championed emerging and creatively driven filmmakers, particularly those willing to take risks and push the boundaries of storytelling. The voting body includes eminent critics such as Anuj Kumar, Saibal Chatterjee, Sachin Chatte, Rahul Desai, Poulomi Das, Stutee Ghosh, Udita Jhunjunwala, Uday Bhatia, Aditya Shrikrishna, Anmol Jamwal, Deepak Dua, Gopinath Rajendran, and Suparna Sharma, representing print, radio, broadcast, and digital platforms nationwide.

Leading the feature film nominations this year is Neeraj Ghaywan's Homebound with six nominations, followed by three nominations for Rohan Parashuram Kanawade's Sundance-winning Sabar Bonda and Raam Reddy's Jugnuma. Anusha Rizvi's The Great Shamsuddin Family, Mari Selvaraj's Bison Kaalamaadan and the BAFTA-winning Manipuri film Boong received two nominations each.

In the web series category, Black Warrant emerged as the most-nominated title with seven nods, followed by Paatal Lok Season 2 with five nominations and The Ba***ds of Bollywood with four.

The Best Documentary category features Chaar Phool Hain Aur Duniya Hai, a poignant portrait of late Jnanpith Award-winning author Vinod Kumar Shukla, alongside Hot Docs winner I, Poppy. In the short film category, Aasmaani Jhoola and Maaybaapache Aashirwaad lead the nominations with five nods each.

The main awards ceremony, Critics' Choice Awards 2026, will also confer the Extraordinary Contribution to Cinema Award on veteran actor Farida Jalal. Brut joins the awards as the Culture Partner, while Sony LIV will serve as the official broadcast partner, bringing the celebration to audiences across the country.

Anupama Chopra, Chairperson, Film Critics Guild, said, "Each year, the Critics' Choice Awards offer a snapshot of where Indian storytelling truly stands, beyond box office numbers or algorithms. The range, ambition, and emotional honesty of the work submitted this year made the deliberations both challenging and immensely fulfilling. From intimate personal narratives to bold, genre-defying work across films, series, documentaries, and short films, these nominations reflect voices that are pushing the medium forward and reminding us why criticism, curiosity, and conversation matter."

Ashwin Padmanabhan, Chief Operating Officer South Asia, WPP Media, said, "At WPP Media, we are committed to supporting platforms that uphold excellence, credibility, and creative integrity. The Critics' Choice Awards have established themselves as a benchmark for critical recognition in India's content ecosystem. Through WPP Motion Entertainment, we are proud to continue our partnership with the Film Critics Guild in honoring work that reflects both artistic distinction and the evolving ambitions of Indian storytelling."

Gaurav Banerjee, MD and CEO, Sony Pictures Networks India, said: "India is in the middle of a remarkable storytelling moment, with creators across languages and formats pushing the boundaries of craft and imagination. The Critics' Choice Awards celebrate this creative momentum, and we are delighted that Sony LIV will bring this celebration of cinematic and streaming excellence to audiences across the country."

FULL LIST OF NOMINEES

For the full list of nominees, please refer below:

SHORT FILM NOMINEES

Best Short Film

1. Aasmaani Jhoola (The Giant Wheel of Life)
2. Direct Recruitment
3. Maaybaapache Aashirwaad (Blessings)
4. Nighiyaan Chhavan (Warm Shadows)
5. Tumhari Baari Jo (Jo's Turn)

Best Director

1. Mohammed Ali Rukadikar for Aasmaani Jhoola (The Giant Wheel of Life)
2. Apurva Bardapurkar for Maaybaapache Aashirwaad (Blessings)
3. Yash Saraf for Moti
4. Aakash Chhabra for Nighiyaan Chhavan (Warm Shadows)
5. Samir Zaidi for Two Sinners

Best Actor

1. Aamir Aziz for Aasmaani Jhoola (The Giant Wheel of Life)
2. Suhas Shirsat for Maaybaapache Aashirwaad (Blessings)
3. Koosilab Sengupta for Moti
4. Sunny Hinduja for That's A Wrap
5. Shardul Bhardwaj for Two Sinners

Best Actress

1. Smita Tambe for Maaybaapache Aashirwaad (Blessings)
2. Sheeba Chaddha for Nighiyaan Chhavan (Warm Shadows)
3. Snehalata Siddharth for Roses Are...
4. Piihu Sand for The Cycle
5. Yashaswini Dayama for Tumhari Baari Jo (Jo's Turn)

Best Writing

1. Mohammed Ali Rukadikar, Keshav Naidu and Sarat T. Rao for Aasmaani Jhoola (The Giant Wheel of Life)
2. Apurva Bardapurkar for Maaybaapache Aashirwaad (Blessings)
3. Aakash Chhabra for Nighiyaan Chhavan (Warm Shadows)
4. Swati Das and Vinoo Choliparambil for Tumhari Baari Jo (Jo's Turn)
5. Samir Zaidi for Two Sinners

Best Cinematography

1. Saurabh Suman for Aasmaani Jhoola (The Giant Wheel of Life)
2. Sachin Gadankush for Khooh Waala Ghar (Room at the Farm)
3. Rusha Bose for Moti
4. Vignesh S for Nighiyaan Chhavan (Warm Shadows)
5. Ajatshatru Singh for Two Sinners

DOCUMENTARY NOMINEES

Best Documentary

1. 1PB Mein Sufiyana Qalam (Music in a Village Named 1PB)
2. Chaar Phool Hain Aur Duniya Hai
3. I, Poppy
4. Loving Karma
5. Marriage Cops

WEB SERIES NOMINEES

Best Web Series

1. Black Warrant
2. Black, White & Gray - Love Kills
3. Paatal Lok S2
4. Perfect Family
5. The Ba***ds of Bollywood

Best Director

1. Vikramaditya Motwane, Satyanshu Singh, Arkesh Ajay, Rohin Raveendran Nair and Ambiecka Pandit for Black Warrant
2. Pushkar Sunil Mahabal for Black, White & Gray - Love Kills
3. Pankaj Kumar and Surya Balakrishnan for Khauf
4. Avinash Arun Dhaware for Paatal Lok S2
5. Aryan Khan for The Ba***ds of Bollywood

Best Actor

1. Zahan Kapoor for Black Warrant
2. Roshan Mathew for Kankhajura
3. Jaideep Ahlawat for Paatal Lok S2
4. Manoj Bajpayee for The Family Man S3
5. Amit Sial for The Hunt - The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case

Best Actress

1. Surveen Chawla for Criminal Justice S4
2. Shabana Azmi for Dabba Cartel
3. Monika Panwar for Khauf
4. Girija Oak Godbole for Perfect Family
5. Priyamani for The Family Man S3

Best Supporting Actor

1. Anurag Thakur for Black Warrant
2. Paramvir Singh Cheema for Black Warrant
3. Rahul Bhat for Black Warrant
4. Manoj Pahwa for Perfect Family
5. Raghav Juyal for The Ba***ds of Bollywood

Best Supporting Actress

1. Nimisha Sajayan for Dabba Cartel
2. Geetanjali Kulkarni for Khauf
3. Shalini Vatsa for Khauf
4. Tillotama Shome for Paatal Lok S2
5. Seema Pahwa for Perfect Family

Best Writing

1. Satyanshu Singh and Arkesh Ajay for Black Warrant
2. Pushkar Sunil Mahabal for Black, White & Gray - Love Kills
3. Sudip Sharma, Rahul Kanojia, Abhishek Banerjee and Tamal Sen for Paatal Lok S2
4. Aryan Khan, Bilal Siddiqi and Manav Chauhan for The Ba***ds of Bollywood
5. Nagesh Kukunoor, Rohit G. Banawlikar and Sriram Rajan for The Hunt - The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case

FEATURE FILM NOMINEES

Best Film

1. Bison Kaalamaadan
2. Boong
3. Homebound
4. Humans in the Loop
5. Jugnuma (The Fable)
6. Ponman
7. Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears)
8. Sthal (A Match)
9. Su from So
10. The Great Shamsuddin Family

Best Director

1. Lakshmipriya Devi for Boong
2. Neeraj Ghaywan for Homebound
3. Aranya Sahay for Humans in the Loop
4. Raam Reddy for Jugnuma (The Fable)
5. Jayant Digambar Somalkar for Sthal (A Match)

Best Actor

1. Mounesh Nataranga for Hebbuli Cut
2. Vishal Jethwa for Homebound
3. Mammootty for Kalamkaval
4. Basil Joseph for Ponman
5. Abhishek Banerjee for Stolen

Best Actress

1. Priyanka Bose for Agra
2. Geetha Kailasam for Angammal
3. Yami Gautam Dhar for Haq
4. Amruta Subhash for Jarann
5. Sharmila Tagore for Puratawn (The Ancient)

Best Supporting Actor

1. Pasupathy for Bison Kaalamaadan
2. Akshaye Khanna for Dhurandhar
3. Dhritiman Chatterjee for Putulnacher Itikatha (The Puppet's Tale)
4. Dileesh Pothan for Ronth
5. Boman Irani for The Mehta Boys

Best Supporting Actress

1. Shalini Vatsa for Homebound
2. Anita Date for Jarann
3. Lijomol Jose for Ponman
4. Sandhya Arakere for Su From So
5. Shreya Dhanwanthary for The Great Shamsuddin Family

Best Writing

1. Bahul Ramesh for Eko
2. Bheemarao and Anantha Shandreya for Hebbuli Cut
3. Basharat Peer, Neeraj Ghaywan, Sumit Roy, Varun Grover, and Shreedhar Dubey for Homebound
4. Rohan Parashuram Kanawade for Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears)
5. Jayant Digambar Somalkar for Sthal (A Match)

Best Cinematography

1. Bahul Ramesh for Eko
2. Sunil Borkar for Jugnuma (The Fable)
3. Nimish Ravi for Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra
4. Sayak Bhattacharya for Putulnacher Itikatha (The Puppet's Tale)
5. Vikas Urs for Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears)

Best Editing

1. Sooraj E. S. for Eko
2. Nitin Baid for Homebound
3. Chaman Chakko for Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra
4. Tinni Mitra for Putulnacher Itikatha (The Puppet's Tale)
5. Shreyas Beltangdy for Stolen