March 27, 2025:The Film Critics Guild and GroupM Motion Entertainment, in collaboration with Vistas Media Capital, announced the winners of the Critics’ Choice Awards 2025. The star-studded ceremony, supported by streaming partner SonyLiv, honoured outstanding achievements in feature films, short films, documentaries, and web series from across India. Recognised for its credibility and independence, the Film Critics Guild is India’s largest body of film critics, representing voices from across languages and regions.
Curated by an esteemed jury comprising of members of the Film Critics Guild, the winners were selected from a diverse pool of nominees spanning multiple languages and platforms.
Adding to the evening’s charm was the presence of legendary poet, lyricist, and screenwriter Javed Akhtar as the special guest of the night. During the ceremony, the host playfully asked if he was as romantic in real life as his poetry suggests, Akhtar shared a humorous anecdote. He revealed that someone once asked Shabana Azmi the same question, and she had responded, “Mujh mein ek bhi romantic bone nahi hai.” Akhtar then added, “Jo log circus mein trapeze karte hai, wo real life mein ulte thode latke rehte hai.” His response left the audience in splits, making it one of the standout moments of the event.
Spotlighting outstanding achievements across diverse cinematic categories, the Critics’ Choice Awards (CCA) continue to set a benchmark in recognising excellence in Indian cinema. The awards are curated by 59 esteemed film critics from the Film Critics Guild. This year’s nominations brought together an incredible range of talent, transcending language and platform boundaries to celebrate the Indian entertainment industry’s finest.
Amidst stiff competition, the Critics’ Choice Awards 2025 jury meticulously evaluated the nominations, ensuring that the most exceptional works of Indian cinema received their due recognition.
Javed-Akhtar
Accepting the award for Best Actor in a Feature Film for ‘Amar Singh Chamkila,’ Diljit Dosanjh expressed his heartfelt gratitude, stating, “Thank you to the Film Critics Guild for this award, bohot bohot shukriya for considering me worthy of this honour. I dedicate this award to Amar Singh Chamkila and to Imtiaz sir, who brought this beautiful film to life. I just had the chance to be a part of it—it was entirely Imtiaz sir’s hard work. A big thank you to the entire cast and crew of the film.”
Receiving the award for Best Director in a Feature Film for ‘All We Imagine As Light,’ Payal Kapadia expressed her deep appreciation for the recognition, stating, “I am deeply honoured and happy to be recognised by the Critics’ Choice Awards. This year has been filled with incredible films, and it means so much to be among such inspiring filmmakers. The awards hold a special place in my heart, as so many critics have been wonderfully supportive of All We Imagine as Light. Thank you for supporting our film every step of the way.”
Richie Mehta, awarded Best Director and Best Series for Poacher, reflected on the recognition, saying, “It’s an honour to have our series POACHER be awarded by the critics, as it was a series made with immense love and passion, by so many, to honour the guardians of all species, who themselves are never recognized. I hope they feel the love today, as our story is merely a reflection of their extraordinary work, and this recognition further reinforces this.”
The winners of the Critics’ Choice Awards 2025 included:
Short Film Category:
- Best Short Film: ‘Obur’
- Best Director: Faraz Ali for ‘Obur’
- Best Actor: Harish Khanna for ‘Jal Tu Jalaal Tu’
- Best Actress: Jyoti Dogra for ‘Taak (Tracker)’
- Best Writing: Faraz Ali for ‘Obur’
- Best Cinematography: Anand Bansal for ‘Obur’
Documentary Category:
- Best Documentary: ‘Nocturnes’
Web Series Category:
- Best Web Series: ‘Poacher’
- Best Director: Richie Mehta for ‘Poacher’
- Best Actor: Barun Sobti for ‘Raat Jawaan Hai’
- Best Actress: Nimisha Sajayan for ‘Poacher’
- Best Supporting Actor: Dibyendu Bhattacharya for ‘Poacher’
- Best Supporting Actress: Kani Kusruti for ‘Poacher’
- Best Writing: Richie Mehta, Gopan Chidambaran, Suprotim Sengupta, Amrita Bagchi for ‘Poacher’
Feature Film Category:
- Best Film: ‘All We Imagine As Light’
- Best Director: Payal Kapadia for ‘All We Imagine As Light’
- Best Actor: Diljit Dosanjh for ‘Amar Singh Chamkila’
- Best Actress: Darshana Rajendran for ‘Paradise’
- Best Supporting Actor: Ravi Kishan for ‘Laapataa Ladies’
- Best Supporting Actress: Kani Kusruti for ‘Girls Will Be Girls’
- Best Writing: Anand Ekarshi for ‘Aattam’
- Best Cinematography: Ranabir Das for ‘All We Imagine As Light’
- Best Editing: Shivkumar V. Panicker for ‘Kill’