Expressnews
Mumbai, 6th March, 2025: GroupM Motion Entertainment, GroupM’s content investment, production, and distribution arm, and the Film Critics Guild, India’s first registered association of film critics, is thrilled to unveil the nominations for the highly anticipated 7th edition of the Critics’ Choice Awards. This prestigious awards ceremony annually celebrates the finest talent across short films, web series, and films. This year, a new category for documentaries has been introduced, further expanding its recognition of excellence across all languages and platforms in India. By spotlighting stories from diverse corners of the country, the awards provide a central stage for voices that reflect India’s rich cultural and creative landscape.
The Critics’ Choice Awards (CCA) jury comprises a distinguished panel of 59 of the most respected and credible film critics, all members of the Film Critics Guild. This esteemed platform plays a pivotal role in acknowledging cinematic brilliance across various languages, categories, and formats. The jury includes notable figures such as Anupama Chopra (Chairperson), Sucharita Tyagi (Vice-Chairperson), Rohan Naahar (Secretary), Bharathi Pradhan (Treasurer), along with Anuj Kumar, Saibal Chatterjee, Rahul Desai, Sachin Chatte, Shomini Sen, Stutee Ghosh, Udita Jhunjhunwala, Aditya Shrikrishna, Ajay Brahmatmaj, Akhil Arora, Anmol Jamwal, Renuka Vyavahare, Rohit Khilnani, Bhawana Somaaya, Deepak Dua, Gopinath Rajendran, and many others, representing print, radio, broadcast, and digital media. Their efforts are instrumental in recognizing the most exceptional and groundbreaking works in cinema and digital content each year.
Anupama Chopra, Chairperson of the Film Critics Guild, shared her thoughts on this year’s nominations: “We are thrilled to celebrate the 7th Critics’ Choice Awards 2025, made even more special with a new category for Indian documentaries – an often-overlooked yet vital part of Indian cinema. With this addition, we aim to shine a spotlight on this growing industry and highlight our commitment to honouring outstanding storytelling across various formats, including short films, web series, documentaries, and feature films. We take immense pride in our diverse and deserving list of nominees, representing talent from across the country. Stay tuned to find out who will take home the Awards!”
Abhishek Bachchan, nominated for Best Actor for I Want To Talk, shared, “I am truly honored to be nominated for Best Actor for ‘I Want To Talk’ by the Film Critics Guild. This film has been an incredibly special journey, and to have my performance recognized by such a respected panel of critics means a great deal to me. My gratitude to the Film Critics Guild for this recognition.”
Konkona Sen Sharma, nominated for Best Actress for Killer Soup, shared, “To be nominated for Critics’ Choice Awards is always an honour, to be nominated for Abhishek Chaubey’s Killer Soup makes it even more special! I’m thrilled, thank you!”
Kani Kusruti, nominated across three categories for her performances in Girls Will Be Girls, Poacher, and All We Imagine as Light, shared, “Being nominated in three different categories for my three different performances is a once in a lifetime honor. I am deeply humbled by this recognition, the experience feels surreal.”
Ashwin Padmanabhan, Chief Operating Officer, GroupM South Asia, said, “The past year—2024—has proven to be a remarkable testament to the transformative power of storytelling, especially in the Indian context. Our content continues to break new ground across every format, with the Critics’ Choice Awards standing tall as a beacon of excellence. This celebration honorsthe visionaries who push creative boundaries, redefine narratives, and set new benchmarks for the industry. At GroupM, we are immensely proud to be at the forefront of this movement, recognizing and championing the brilliance of filmmakers, creators, and storytellers who are shaping the future of entertainment. We have always been staunch supporters of the creative community and will continue to celebrate the exceptional talent showcase.”
Abhayanand Singh, Co-Founder, Vistas.Media, shared, “Vistas Media is extremely excited to be associated with CCA since the very beginning as it grows in its reach and stature bringing out the best of Indian cinema to a larger audience. This annual calendar event has emerged as a celebration of the best of Indian cinema and we congratulate all participants for spreading joy to the world with their work.”
For the full list of nominees, please refer below:
Short Films Nominations
Category: Best Short Film
1. IYKYK (If You Know You Know)
2. Jal Tu Jalaal Tu
3. Obur
4. Taak (Tracker)
5. Virundhu (The Feast)
Category: Best Director
1. Bonita Rajpurohit for “IYKYK (If You Know You Know”
2. Prateek Vats for “Jal Tu Jalaal Tu”
3. Faraz Ali “Obur”
4. Ajai Vishwanath “Starch”
5. Udit Khurana “Taak (Tracker)”
Category: Best Actor
1. Kayan Dadyburjor for “Halfway”
2. Kumar Chheda for “Halfway”
3. Harish Khanna for “Jal Tu Jalaal Tu”
4. Aaqib Nazir Dinda for “Obur”
5. George Vijay for “Virundhu (The Feast)”
Category: Best Actress
1. Menuka Pradhan for “Crossing Borders”
2. Sheeba Chaddha for “Night Queen”
3. Indu Sharma for “Riha (Unlocked)”
4. Gayatri Patel Bahl for “Strach”
5. Jyoti Dogra for “Taak (Tracker)”
Category: Best Writing
1. Bonita Rajpurohit for “IYKYK (If You Know You Know)”
2. Vindhya Gupta for “Jooyein (Lice)”
3. Faraz Ali for “Obur”
4. Akhil Lotlikar, Tanmay Gemini for “The Slow Train”
5. Rishi Chandna, Rahul Srivastava for “Virundhu (The Feast)”
Category: Best Cinematography
1. Kartik Parmar for “Bhed Bakri Bhoot (Gote Goat Ghost)”
2. Appu Prabhakar for “Crossing Borders”
3. Avinash Arun Dhaware for “Monsoon Walk”
4. Anand Bansal for “Obur”
5. Tarkash Mehta for “Taak (Tracker)”
Documentary Nominations
1. Against the Tide
2. And, Towards Happy Alleys
3. Nocturnes
4. Rhythm of a Flower (Phool Ka Channd)
5. The Midwife’s Confession
Web Series Nominations
Category: Best Web Series
1. Brinda
2. Freedom at Midnight
3. Killer Soup
4. Poacher
5. Raat Jawaan Hai
Category: Best Director
1 Surya Manoj Vangala for “Brinda”
2 Nikkhil Advani for “Freedom at Midnight”
3 Abhishek Chaubey for “Killer Soup”
4 Richie Mehta for “Poacher”
5 Sumeet Vyas for “Raat Jawaan Hai”
Category: Best Actor
1 Mihir Godbole for “Lampan”
2 Ravi Kishan for “Maamla Legal Hai”
3 Barun Sobti for “Raat Jawaan Hai“
4 Kay Kay Menon for “Shekhar Home”
5 Tahir Raj Bhasin for “Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein S2”
Category: Best Actress
1 Swastika Mukherjee for “Bijoya”
2 Trisha Krishnan for “Brinda”
3 Konkona Sen Sharma for “Killer Soup”
4 Nimisha Sajayan for “Poacher”
5 Anjali Anand for “Raat Jawaan Hai”
Category: Best Supporting Actor
1 Rajesh Tailang for “Bandish Bandits S2”
2 Rajendra Chawla for “Freedom at Midnight”
3 Rajesh Khattar for “Murder in Mahim”
4 Faisal Malik for “Panchayat S3”
5 Dibyendu Bhattacharya for “Poacher”
Category: Best Supporting Actress
1 Divya Dutta for “Bandish Bandits S2”
2 Nidhi Bisht for “Maamla Legal Hai”
3 Sai Tamhankar for “Manvat Murders”
4 Kani Kusruti for “Poacher”
5 Priya Bapat for “Raat Jawaan Hai”
Category: Best Writing
1 Anand Tiwari, Atmika Didwania, Karan Singh Tyagi for “Bandish Bandits S2”
2 Surya Manoj Vangala, Padmavathi Malladi, Jay Krishna for “Brinda”
3 Abhinandan Gupta, Gundeep Kaur, Adwitiya Kareng Das, Divy Nidhi Sharma, Revanta Sarabhai, Ethan Taylor for “Freedom at Midnight”
4 Richie Mehta, Gopan Chidambaran for “Poacher”
5 Khyati Anand Puthran for “Raat Jawaan Hai”
Feature Films Nomination
Category: Best Film
1 All We Imagine As Light
2 Amar Singh Chamkila
3 Family
4 Girls Will Be Girls
5 Kottukkaali (The Adamant Girl)
6 Laapataa Ladies
7 Manjummel Boys
8 Padatik
9 Paradise
10 Rimdoggittanga (Rapture)
Category: Best Director
1 Payal Kapadia for “All We Imagine As Light”
2 Imtiaz Ali for “Amar Singh Chamkila”
3 Shuchi Talati for “Girls Will Be Girls”
4 Chidambaram for “Manjummel Boys”
5 Dominic Sangma for “Rimdoggittanga (Rapture)”
Category: Best Actor
1 Prithviraj Sukumaran for “Aadujeevitham (The Goat Life)”
2 Diljit Dosanjh for “Amar Singh Chamkila”
3 Abhishek Bachchan for “I Want To Talk”
4 Soori for “Kottukkaali (The Adamant Girl)”
5 Chandan Sen for “Manikbabur Megh (The Cloud and the Man)”
Category: Best Actress
1 Kani Kusruti for “All We Imagine As Light”
2 Preeti Panigrahi for “Girls Will Be Girls”
3 Anna Ben for “Kottukkaali (The Adamant Girl)”
4 Darshana Rajendran for “Paradise”
5 Urvashi for “Ullozhukku (Undercurrent)”
Category: Best Supporting Actor
1 Anjan Dutt for “Chaalchitra Ekhon”
2 Raghav Juyal for “Kill”
3 Vijayaraghavan for “Kishkindha Kaandam”
4 Ravi Kishan for “Laapataa Ladies”
5 Mahendra Perera for “Paradise”
Category: Best Supporting Actress
1 Divya Prabha for “All We Imagine As Light”
2 Kani Kusruti for “Girls Will Be Girls”
3 Sai Abhinaya for “Kottukkaali (The Adamant Girl)”
4 Chhaya Kadam for “Laapataa Ladies”
5 Parvathy Thiruvothu for “Ullozhukku (Undercurrent)”
Category: Best Writing
1 Anand Ekarshi for “Aattam”
2 Payal Kapadia for “All We Imagine As Light”
3 Biplab Goswami, Sneha Desai, Divy Nidhi Sharma for “Laapataa Ladies”
4 Chidambaram for “Manjummel Boys”
5 Dominic Sangma for “Rimdoggittanga (Rapture)”
Category: Best Cinematography
1 Sunil K. S. for “Aadujeevitham (The Goat Life)”
2 Ranabir Das for “All We Imagine As Light”
3 Rafey Mehmood for “Kill”
4 Shyju Khalid for “Manjummel Boys”
5 Tojo Xavier for “Rimdoggittanga (Rapture)”
Category: Best Editing
1 Aarti Bajaj for “Amar Singh Chamkila”
2 Shivkumar V. Panicker for “Kill”
3 Vivek Harshan for “Manjummel Boys”
4 Srijit Mukherjee for “Padatik”
5 A. Sreekar Prasad for “Paradise”
Stay tuned for the much-awaited Critics’ Choice Awards 2025, scheduled to take place on 25th March 2025.
