Film Critics Guild and WPP Motion Entertainment announce nominations for Critics’ Choice Awards

The movie critics association Film Critics Guild, alongside WPP Motion Entertainment, revealed the nominations for the eight edition of the Critics’ Choice Awards recently. The awards recognise work in web series, feature films, short films, and documentaries. The nominations and awards are determined by votes from 56 leading critics from different languages in India who represent the Film Critics Guild.

As for films, Neeraj Ghaywan’s film Homebound tops the list of nominations for the Critics’ Choice Awards this year with six nominations, with Raam Reddy’s Jugnuma and Rohan Parashuram Kanawade’s Sabar Bonda sharing the second spot with three nominations each. Meanwhile, Anusha Rizvi’s The Great Shamsuddin Family, the BAFTA-winning film Boong, and Mari Selvaraj’s Bison Kaalamaadan have two nominations each.

As for web series, Netflix's Black Warrant tops the list with seven nominations, followed by Prime Video's Paatal Lok Season 2 (five nominations) and Netflix's The Ba***ds of Bollywood (with four nods). Zahan Kapoor and Jaideep Ahlawat have a nomination each for Best Actor for their performances in Black Warrant and Paatal Lok Season 2, respectively. Also nominated in the Best Actor category are Roshan Mathew for Kankhajura, Manoj Bajpayee for The Family Man Season 3, and Amit Sial for The Hunt - The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case.

The documentaries to receive Critics' Choice Awards nominations include Chaar Phool Hain Aur Duniya Hai, which is based on the late Jnanpith Award-winner Vinod Kumar Shukla, and I, Poppy. As for short films, both Maaybaapache Aashirwaad and Aasmaani Jhoola have five nominations each.

The ceremony will present actor Farida Jalal with an award for his contributions to cinema. Speaking about it, Film Critics Guild Chairperson Anupama Chopra 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."

Meanwhile, WPP Media's COO for South Asia, Ashwin Padmanabhan stated, "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."

Sony LIV is the broadcast partner for the awards ceremony. Sony Pictures Networks India's CEO and MD, Gaurav Banerjee 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."

Meanwhile, speaking about his Best Actor nomination Roshan Mathew said, "For me, CCA comes with a kind of credibility that makes this nomination very special. Kankhajura is a project that I hold in high regard. I collaborated with some of the best people in the industry and we had a thoroughly inspiring time making the show. This is validation for the value I saw in that work. Thank you."

Here is the list of all the nominees across categories:

Short Films

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

2. Suhas Shirsat for Maaybaapache Aashirwaad

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

2. Sheeba Chaddha for Nighiyaan Chhavan

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

2. Apurva Bardapurkar for Maaybaapache Aashirwaad

3. Aakash Chhabra for Nighiyaan Chhavan 

4. Swati Das and Vinoo Choliparambil for Tumhari Baari Jo

5. Samir Zaidi for Two Sinners 

Best Cinematography

1. Saurabh Suman for Aasmaani Jhoola

2. Sachin Gadankush for Khooh Waala Ghar

3. Rusha Bose for Moti

4. Vignesh S for Nighiyaan Chhavan

5. Ajatshatru Singh for Two Sinners

Documentaries

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

1. Black Warrant

2. Black, White and Gray - Love Kills

3. Paatal Lok Season 2

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 and Gray - Love Kills

3. Pankaj Kumar and Surya Balakrishnan for Khauf

4. Avinash Arun Dhaware for Paatal Lok Season 2

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 Season 2

4. Manoj Bajpayee for The Family Man Season 3

5. Amit Sial for The Hunt - The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case

Best Actress

1. Surveen Chawla for Criminal Justice Season 4

2. Shabana Azmi for Dabba Cartel

3. Monika Panwar for Khauf

4. Girija Oak Godbole for Perfect Family

5. Priyamani for The Family Man Season 3

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 Season 2

5. Seema Pahwa for Perfect Family

Best Writing

1. Satyanshu Singh and Arkesh Ajay for Black Warrant

2. Pushkar Sunil Mahabal for Black, White and Gray - Love Kills

3. Sudip Sharma, Rahul Kanojia, Abhishek Banerjee and Tamal Sen for Paatal Lok Season 2

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 Films

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 ES 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