IIFA Awards 2026: Dhurandhar Dominates with 12 Wins as Ranveer Singh and Aneet Padda Take Top Acting Honors
The 26th International Indian Film Academy Awards celebrate the best of Indian cinema, with Dhurandhar leading the winners’ list, Saiyaara making a strong impression, and digital entertainment earning prominent recognition.
The 26th International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards have celebrated the outstanding achievements of Indian cinema, with Aditya Dhar’s blockbuster Dhurandhar emerging as the biggest winner of the 2026 edition. The film secured 12 awards across popular and technical categories, marking a remarkable achievement for the action drama.
Ranveer Singh took home the Best Actor award for his performance in Dhurandhar, while Aneet Padda won Best Actress for her role in the romantic drama Saiyaara. The awards recognized excellence across theatrical films, music, filmmaking and digital entertainment, highlighting the diversity and creative ambition of India’s entertainment industry.
Dhurandhar Leads the Awards Race
Directed by Aditya Dhar, Dhurandhar emerged as the defining film of the 26th IIFA Awards. The spy action drama secured major honors, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor.
Aditya Dhar received multiple awards for his filmmaking, including Best Original Story, Best Screenplay and Best Dialogues. The film’s technical achievements also earned honors for cinematography, editing and sound design.
Ranveer Singh’s lead performance earned him Best Actor, while Sanjay Dutt received recognition for his supporting performance. Akshaye Khanna was honored for his portrayal of a negative character, further strengthening the film’s impressive awards tally.
The success of Dhurandhar underscored the growing appeal of ambitious Indian productions that combine compelling storytelling, large-scale action and technical excellence.
Saiyaara Celebrates Emerging Talent and Musical Excellence
The romantic drama Saiyaara also enjoyed a successful awards season.
Aneet Padda won Best Actress for her performance, while Ahaan Panday won Best Male Debut. Their recognition highlighted the emergence of new talent in Hindi cinema.
The film also secured several music-related honors. Irshad Kamil won Best Lyrics, Faheem Abdullah won Best Male Playback Singer, and Shreya Ghoshal received Best Female Playback Singer for Saiyaara Reprise – Female.
Saiyaara’s achievements demonstrated the continuing importance of music and emotionally engaging storytelling in contemporary Indian cinema.
Chhaava Earns Recognition for Technical Achievements
The historical drama Chhaava received recognition in several technical categories.
A.R. Rahman won Best Background Score, while Alok De won Best Sound Mixing. Assemblage Entertainment and Redefine won Best Visual Effects.
The film’s recognition highlighted the contribution of technical artists and creative teams whose work helps bring ambitious cinematic productions to life.
IIFA Awards 2026: Major Winners
The following are among the key winners of the 26th IIFA Awards:
| Award Category | Winner | Film |
|---|---|---|
| Best Picture | Jyoti Deshpande, Aditya Dhar and Lokesh Dhar | Dhurandhar |
| Best Director | Aditya Dhar | Dhurandhar |
| Best Actor – Leading Role (Male) | Ranveer Singh | Dhurandhar |
| Best Actress – Leading Role (Female) | Aneet Padda | Saiyaara |
| Best Supporting Actor (Male) | Sanjay Dutt | Dhurandhar |
| Best Supporting Actress (Female) | Huma Qureshi | Jolly LLB 3 |
| Best Performance in a Negative Role | Akshaye Khanna | Dhurandhar |
| Best Male Debut | Ahaan Panday | Saiyaara |
| Best Female Debut | Rasha Thadani | Azaad |
| Best Music Direction | Shashwat Sachdev | Dhurandhar |
| Best Background Score | A.R. Rahman | Chhaava |
| Best Visual Effects | Assemblage Entertainment and Redefine | Chhaava |
Digital Entertainment Takes Center Stage
The IIFA Digital Awards celebrated achievements in streaming films and series, reflecting the increasing influence of digital platforms on Indian entertainment.
Among the notable film winners, Baramulla won Best Picture and Best Original Story. Karan Tejpal won Best Direction for Stolen, while Abhishek Banerjee received Best Leading Performance (Male) for the same film.
Sanya Malhotra won Best Leading Performance (Female) for Mrs., while Avinash Tiwary and Monika Panwar received supporting performance honors.
In the series categories, The Ba**ds of Bollywood emerged as a major winner, with Aryan Khan recognized for Best Direction. Jaideep Ahlawat and Tillotama Shome received leading performance awards for Paatal Lok 2.
The digital awards also recognized The Roshans as Best Docuseries/Docufilm and The Traitors as Best Reality/Non-Scripted Program.
These honors reflected the growing creative significance of streaming entertainment and its ability to deliver distinctive stories to audiences across India and beyond.
Celebrating the Creative Spirit of Indian Cinema
The 26th IIFA Awards celebrated the many dimensions of Indian entertainment, from blockbuster filmmaking and memorable performances to music, technical craftsmanship, and digital storytelling.
Dhurandhar’s success highlighted the appeal of large-scale cinematic productions, while Saiyaara celebrated emerging talent and musical excellence. The recognition of Chhaava underscored the importance of technical artistry, and the digital awards showcased the expanding influence of streaming platforms.
Together, the winners reflected an Indian entertainment industry that continues to evolve, experiment, and reach audiences across an increasingly diverse range of platforms.
As the IIFA Awards celebrate another year of cinematic achievement, the 2026 edition stands out for recognizing both established creative talent and the next generation of performers and filmmakers.
The 26th IIFA Awards reaffirmed Indian cinema’s enduring power to entertain, inspire, and connect audiences through compelling stories and outstanding creative achievements.
About the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA)
The International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) is a global platform celebrating the excellence, creativity, and achievements of Indian cinema. Established in 2000, IIFA brings together leading film personalities, filmmakers, artists, and audiences through its annual awards and international events. The IIFA Awards honor outstanding contributions to Indian cinema across acting, direction, music, technical craftsmanship, and other creative disciplines, while promoting Indian films and culture on the global stage.
26th IIFA Awards (2026) winners were announced on October 30, 2026 (via the official Instagram and press reports). Dhurandhar dominated with multiple major and technical awards (reports cite around 11–12 wins). Winners were revealed without a traditional on-ground ceremony this year.
Popular Categories
- Best Picture / Best Film: Jyoti Deshpande, Aditya Dhar, Lokesh Dhar — Dhurandhar
- Best International Film: 20th Century Studios (India distributors), Jon Landau, James Cameron — Avatar: Fire & Ash
- Best Director: Aditya Dhar — Dhurandhar
- Best Actor (Leading Role / Male): Ranveer Singh — Dhurandhar
- Best Actress (Leading Role / Female): Aneet Padda — Saiyaara
- Best Supporting Actor (Male): Sanjay Dutt — Dhurandhar
- Best Supporting Actress (Female): Huma Qureshi — Jolly LLB 3
- Best Performance in a Negative Role: Akshaye Khanna — Dhurandhar
- Best Music Direction: Shashwat Sachdev — Dhurandhar
- Best Original Story: Aditya Dhar — Dhurandhar
- Best Adapted Story: Basharat Peer, Sumit Roy, Neeraj Ghaywan — Homebound
- Best Lyrics: Irshad Kamil — “Saiyaara” (Saiyaara)
- Best Male Playback Singer: Faheem Abdullah — “Saiyaara” (Saiyaara)
- Best Female Playback Singer: Shreya Ghoshal — “Saiyaara Reprise – Female” (Saiyaara)
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 Choreography: Bosco Leslie Martis — “Aavan Jaavan” (War 2)
- Best Sound Design: Bishwadeep Chatterjee — Dhurandhar
- Best Sound Mixing: Alok De — Chhaava
- Best Background Score: A.R. Rahman — Chhaava
- Best Visual Effects: Assemblage Entertainment and Redefine — Chhaava
