Screen Awards 2026 Live Updates: The awards, across 31 categories, will celebrate those who took Hindi cinema to greater heights last year.Bollywood’s biggest night, celebrating the finest talents who graced our screens and made 2025 extra special, is here, as it’s time for the Chetak Screen Awards 2026. As extravagant and glitzy as it is, the ceremony will also serve as a bona fide tribute to everything that defines Hindi cinema and OTT.The diligence with which the nominees and, subsequently, the winners in each category have been selected proves this. After all, we know you prefer the Chetak Screen Awards over any similar event in the country, primarily because of our motto: art must be recognised purely on merit, integrity, and peer respect.Story continues below this adThe opulence of the ceremony transcends the red carpet and the stardom of those in attendance. Instead, the event’s biggest attraction is that the nominees and winners across all 31 categories have been handpicked by our prestigious Screen Academy — an independent, not-for-profit body comprising 53 acclaimed filmmakers, artistes and cultural voices — following a rigorous process.Under the leadership of Dr Priya Jaikumar, Chair of Cinema and Media Studies at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, Los Angeles, and scholar-in-residence at Screen Academy, detailed grading guidelines were developed for the Academy members to follow while scoring. The films were evaluated based on creativity and overall experience, technical excellence, viewer connectivity, and innovation, while the performance-based categories were also assessed on authenticity.Now, buckle up, as it’s going to be a gala night, but not simply that. Some of the finest films of 2025, as well as the artistes and technicians who brought their A-game, are set to battle it out once again for the most prestigious trophies in Indian cinema. Notably, the competition for the Chetak Screen Award for Best Film is between Dhadak 2, Dhurandhar, Haq, Homebound, Saiyaara, Superboys of Malegaon, and Chhaava.While director Aditya Dhar’s espionage thriller Dhurandhar leads the race with 24 nominations, Mohit Suri’s romantic musical Saiyaara has earned 17, and Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound has 15 nods.The event begins at 8 pm on Sunday, April 5, in Mumbai. Bollywood star Alia Bhatt, comedians Zakir Khan and Sunil Grover, and eminent journalist Saurabh Dwivedi (Editor – Hindi, The Indian Express) serve as hosts for the ceremony.Watch Chetak Screen Awards 2026 LIVE on YouTube, Sony Entertainment Television, and Sony LIVLive UpdatesClick here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd