The 26th edition of the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards concluded with filmmaker Aditya Dhar’s high-octane spy thriller Dharandhar taking center stage. Emerging as the undisputed king of the evening, the feature film achieved a stunning clean sweep across popular, writing, and technical categories, walking away with a staggering 12 trophies in total.
Led by Ranveer Singh, who picked up the coveted Best Actor in a Leading Role award, Dhurandhar claimed top honours including Best Film, Best Director for Aditya Dhar, Best Supporting Actor for Sanjay Dutt, and Best Actor in a Negative Role for Akshaye Khanna. Filmmaker Aditya Dhar personally achieved an incredible multi-trophy haul by taking home individual awards for Best Story (Original), Best Screenplay, and Best Dialogues in IIFA.
Meanwhile, rising star Aneet Padda scored a landmark career victory by winning Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in the romantic drama Saiyaara. In the digital sphere, Aryan Khan made a triumphant directorial debut as his show The Bads of Bollywood*** claimed Best Web Series alongside his personal win for Best Director (Digital Series).
The Big Night for ‘Dhurandhar’ and ‘Saiyaara’ in IIFA
Dhurandhar asserted dominance early in the evening, capturing praise for its narrative ambition, technical craft, and ensemble performances.
- Triple-Threat Writer-Director: Aditya Dhar’s triumph across writing and directing categories reinforces his position as one of modern Indian cinema’s most formidable storytellers.
- Performances Recognized: Ranveer Singh’s intense portrayal earned him top acting honours, while co-stars Sanjay Dutt and Akshaye Khanna were recognized for their crucial supporting and antagonistic turns, respectively.
- Music & Musical Debuts: Musical romance Saiyaara emerged as another big winner of the night, securing top music honours including Best Lyrics for Irshad Kamil, Best Playback Singer (Male) for Faheem Abdullah, Best Playback Singer (Female) for Shreya Ghoshal, and Best Male Debut for Ahaan Panday.
Digital Category Triumph: Aryan Khan and ‘Paatal Lok 2’
The digital streaming categories celebrated a stellar year of OTT releases:
- The Bads of Bollywood* Sweep: Directed by Aryan Khan, the series captured major honours including Best Series, Best Direction, Best Supporting Actor (Raghav Juyal), Best Supporting Actress (Anya Singh), and Best Title Track.
- Paatal Lok Season 2: The gritty crime saga delivered wins for Jaideep Ahlawat (Best Leading Actor – Series) and Tillotama Shome (Best Leading Actress – Series).
- Digital Feature Winners: Film-wise on streaming, Baramulla bagged Best Picture (Digital), while Stolen brought home Best Director (Karan Tejpal) and Best Leading Actor (Abhishek Banerjee).
IIFA 2026: Complete Winners List
Popular Film Categories
- Best Film: Dhurandhar (Jyoti Deshpande, Aditya Dhar, Lokesh Dhar)
- Best Director: Aditya Dhar (Dhurandhar)
- Best Actor (Leading Role): Ranveer Singh (Dhurandhar)
- Best Actress (Leading Role): Aneet Padda (Saiyaara)
- Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Sanjay Dutt (Dhurandhar)
- Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Huma Qureshi (Jolly LLB 3)
- Best Actor in a Negative Role: Akshaye Khanna (Dhurandhar)
- Best International Film: Avatar: Fire & Ash (20th Century Studios, Jon Landau, James Cameron)
- Best Music Direction: Shashwat Sachdev (Dhurandhar)
- Best Story (Original): Aditya Dhar (Dhurandhar)
- Best Story (Adapted): Basharat Peer, Sumit Roy, Neeraj Ghaywan (Homebound)
- Best Lyrics: Irshad Kamil (Saiyaara)
- Best Playback Singer (Male): Faheem Abdullah (Saiyaara)
- Best Playback Singer (Female): Shreya Ghoshal (Saiyaara – Reprise)
Debut Categories
- Best Male Debut: Ahaan Panday (Saiyaara)
- Best Female Debut: Rasha Thadani (Azaad)
Technical Categories
- Best Cinematography: Vikash Nowlakha (Dhurandhar)
- Best Screenplay: Aditya Dhar (Dhurandhar)
- Best Dialogues: Aditya Dhar (Dhurandhar)
- Best Editing: Shivkumar V. Panicker (Dhurandhar)
- Best Sound Design: Bishwadeep Chatterjee (Dhurandhar)
- Best Sound Mixing: Alok De (Chhaava)
- Best Background Score: A.R. Rahman (Chhaava)
- Best Visual Effects: Assemblage Entertainment, Redefine (Chhaava)
- Best Choreography: Bosco Leslie Martis (Aavan Jaavan – War 2)
Digital Series (OTT) Categories
- Best Web Series: The Ba*ds of Bollywood
- Best Director (Series): Aryan Khan (The Ba*ds of Bollywood)
- Best Actor (Leading Role – Series): Jaideep Ahlawat (Paatal Lok Season 2)
- Best Actress (Leading Role – Series): Tillotama Shome (Paatal Lok Season 2)
- Best Supporting Actor (Series): Raghav Juyal (The Ba*ds of Bollywood)
- Best Supporting Actress (Series): Anya Singh (The Ba*ds of Bollywood)
- Best Original Story (Series): Paatal Lok Season 2
- Best Docuseries / Docufilm: The Roshans
- Best Reality / Non-Scripted Show: The Traitors
- Best Title Track: Ujwal Gupta (The Ba*ds of Bollywood)
Digital Film Categories
- Best Digital Picture: Baramulla
- Best Original Story (Digital Film): Baramulla
- Best Director (Digital Film): Karan Tejpal (Stolen)
- Best Actor (Leading Role – Digital Film): Abhishek Banerjee (Stolen)
- Best Actress (Leading Role – Digital Film): Sanya Malhotra (Mrs)
- Best Supporting Actor (Digital Film): Avinash Tiwary (The Mehta Boys)
- Best Supporting Actress (Digital Film): Monika Panwar (Nishaanchi 2)
By: Bollyo
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