On Sunday in Mumbai, the Chetak Screen Awards 2026 highlighted a striking contrast: although Dhurandhar’s Sai N S Johray claimed the Best Production Design award, beating out contenders from Chhaava, Gustaakh Ishq, Homebound, Superboys of Malegaon, Haq, and Kesari Chapter 2, the same evening saw Homebound win Best Film Writing and Vijay Ganguly take Best Choreography for Dhurandhar’s track “Shararat.” The ceremony, hosted by Alia Bhatt, Zakir Khan, Sunil Grover, and Saurabh Dwivedi, underscored the awards’ reputation as one of India’s most respected honours, grounded in merit-based recognition.
Sai N S Johray’s win came in what was described as one of the most fiercely contested categories of the night, featuring several of 2025’s most visually ambitious films. Subrata Chakraborty and Amit Ray for Chhaava, Madhumita Sen and Ajay Sharma for Gustaakh Ishq, Khyatee Kanchan for Homebound, Sally White for Superboys of Malegaon, Sonam Singh and Abhijit Gaonkar for Haq, and Rita Ghosh for Kesari Chapter 2 were all in the running before Johray prevailed. Sabu Cyril presented the trophy to the winner.
Meanwhile, Homebound’s writing team — Basharat Peer, Neeraj Ghaywan, and Sumit Roy — won Best Film Writing, a recognition that stood out given the industry’s current struggle with compelling storytelling. Neeraj Ghaywan expressed surprise at the win, noting that Dhurandhar had dominated much of the awards night, making their victory feel unexpected. Rajkumar Hirani and Dia Mirza presented the award to the Homebound team.
In another win for Dhurandhar, Vijay Ganguly received the Best Choreography award for creating the viral dance moves for the film’s song “Shararat.” He beat out nominees including Bosco Leslie Martis, who had been nominated twice before — for “Uff Amma” from Azad and “Bhasad Machine” from Dev — as well as Ganesh Acharya, who was nominated for “Panwadi Geet” sung by Tulsi Kumar. Arshad Warsi presented Ganguly with his trophy.
All three winning moments were tied together by the same set of hosts — Alia Bhatt, Zakir Khan, Sunil Grover, and Saurabh Dwivedi — who guided the evening’s proceedings. The Chetak Screen Awards, instituted by The Indian Express Group, continue to position themselves as a benchmark for creative excellence in Indian cinema, emphasizing authenticity, skill, and mutual respect among peers.
What made the Best Production Design win for Dhurandhar significant?
It was awarded in one of the most competitive categories of the night, where Johray beat out six other notable contenders from major 2025 films.
Why did the Homebound team express surprise at winning Best Film Writing?
Homebound team expressed surprise at winning Best Film Writing, noting that Dhurandhar had dominated much of the awards night, making their victory feel unexpected.
Who presented the awards to the winners at the Chetak Screen Awards 2026?
Sabu Cyril presented the Best Production Design trophy to Sai N S Johray, Rajkumar Hirani and Dia Mirza presented the Best Film Writing award to the Homebound team, and Arshad Warsi presented the Best Choreography award to Vijay Ganguly.