GroupM Motion Entertainment and Film Critics Guild Announce Nominations for the 7th Edition of Critics' Choice Awards 2025
GroupM Motion Entertainment and Film Critics Guild Announce Nominations for the 7th Edition of Critics' Choice Awards 2025
The 2025 edition celebrates and honours exceptional talent across short films, documentaries, web series and feature films
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 honors the 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.”
Swastika Mukherjee, nominated for BIJOYA said, Critics Choice Awards is such a huge recognition for any actor. This nomination is extra special because BIJOYA is a Bengali language show and I get to represent my bengali film industry on the national platform. Keeping fingers crossed, I hope I win this
For the full list of nominees, please refer below:
Short Films Nominations
Category: Best Short Film
IYKYK (If You Know You Know)
Jal Tu Jalaal Tu
Obur
Taak (Tracker)
Virundhu (The Feast)
Category: Best Director
Bonita Rajpurohit for “IYKYK (If You Know You Know”
Prateek Vats for “Jal Tu Jalaal Tu”
Faraz Ali “Obur”
Ajai Vishwanath “Starch”
Udit Khurana “Taak (Tracker)”
Category: Best Actor
Kayan Dadyburjor for “Halfway”
Kumar Chheda for “Halfway”
Harish Khanna for “Jal Tu Jalaal Tu”
Aaqib Nazir Dinda for “Obur”
George Vijay for “Virundhu (The Feast)”
Category: Best Actress
Menuka Pradhan for “Crossing Borders”
Sheeba Chaddha for “Night Queen”
Indu Sharma for “Riha (Unlocked)”
Gayatri Patel Bahl for “Strach”
Jyoti Dogra for “Taak (Tracker)”
Category: Best Writing
Bonita Rajpurohit for “IYKYK (If You Know You Know)”
Vindhya Gupta for “Jooyein (Lice)”
Faraz Ali for “Obur”
Akhil Lotlikar, Tanmay Gemini for “The Slow Train”
Rishi Chandna, Rahul Srivastava for “Virundhu (The Feast)”
Category: Best Cinematography
Kartik Parmar for “Bhed Bakri Bhoot (Gote Goat Ghost)”
Appu Prabhakar for “Crossing Borders”
Avinash Arun Dhaware for “Monsoon Walk”
Anand Bansal for “Obur”
Tarkash Mehta for “Taak (Tracker)”
Documentary Nominations
Against the Tide
And, Towards Happy Alleys
Nocturnes
Rhythm of a Flower (Phool Ka Channd)
The Midwife's Confession
Web Series Nominations
Category: Best Web Series
Brinda
Freedom at Midnight
Killer Soup
Poacher
Raat Jawaan Hai
Category: Best Director
Surya Manoj Vangala for “Brinda”
Nikkhil Advani for “Freedom at Midnight”
Abhishek Chaubey for “Killer Soup”
Richie Mehta for “Poacher”
Sumeet Vyas for “Raat Jawaan Hai”
Category: Best Actor
Mihir Godbole for “Lampan”
Ravi Kishan for “Maamla Legal Hai”
Barun Sobti for “Raat Jawaan Hai“
Kay Kay Menon for “Shekhar Home”
Tahir Raj Bhasin for “Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein S2”
Category: Best Actress
Swastika Mukherjee for “Bijoya”
Trisha Krishnan for “Brinda”
Konkona Sen Sharma for “Killer Soup”
Nimisha Sajayan for “Poacher”
Anjali Anand for “Raat Jawaan Hai”
Category: Best Supporting Actor
Rajesh Tailang for “Bandish Bandits S2”
Rajendra Chawla for “Freedom at Midnight”
Rajesh Khattar for “Murder in Mahim”
Faisal Malik for “Panchayat S3”
Dibyendu Bhattacharya for “Poacher”
Category: Best Supporting Actress
Divya Dutta for “Bandish Bandits S2”
Nidhi Bisht for “Maamla Legal Hai”
Sai Tamhankar for “Manvat Murders”
Kani Kusruti for “Poacher”
Priya Bapat for “Raat Jawaan Hai”
Category: Best Writing
Anand Tiwari, Atmika Didwania, Karan Singh Tyagi for “Bandish Bandits S2”
Surya Manoj Vangala, Padmavathi Malladi, Jay Krishna for “Brinda”
Abhinandan Gupta, Gundeep Kaur, Adwitiya Kareng Das, Divy Nidhi Sharma, Revanta Sarabhai, Ethan Taylor for “Freedom at Midnight”
Richie Mehta, Gopan Chidambaran for “Poacher”
Khyati Anand Puthran for “Raat Jawaan Hai”
Feature Films Nomination
Category: Best Film
All We Imagine As Light
Amar Singh Chamkila
Family
Girls Will Be Girls
Kottukkaali (The Adamant Girl)
Laapataa Ladies
Manjummel Boys
Padatik
Paradise
Rimdoggittanga (Rapture)
Category: Best Director
Payal Kapadia for “All We Imagine As Light”
Imtiaz Ali for “Amar Singh Chamkila”
Shuchi Talati for “Girls Will Be Girls”
Chidambaram for “Manjummel Boys”
Dominic Sangma for “Rimdoggittanga (Rapture)”
Category: Best Actor
Prithviraj Sukumaran for “Aadujeevitham (The Goat Life)”
Diljit Dosanjh for “Amar Singh Chamkila”
Abhishek Bachchan for “I Want To Talk”
Soori for “Kottukkaali (The Adamant Girl)”
Chandan Sen for “Manikbabur Megh (The Cloud and the Man)”
Category: Best Actress
Kani Kusruti for “All We Imagine As Light”
Preeti Panigrahi for “Girls Will Be Girls”
Anna Ben for “Kottukkaali (The Adamant Girl)”
Darshana Rajendran for “Paradise”
Urvashi for “Ullozhukku (Undercurrent)”
Category: Best Supporting Actor
Anjan Dutt for “Chaalchitra Ekhon”
Raghav Juyal for “Kill”
Vijayaraghavan for “Kishkindha Kaandam”
Ravi Kishan for “Laapataa Ladies”
Mahendra Perera for “Paradise”
Category: Best Supporting Actress
Divya Prabha for “All We Imagine As Light”
Kani Kusruti for “Girls Will Be Girls”
Sai Abhinaya for “Kottukkaali (The Adamant Girl)”
Chhaya Kadam for “Laapataa Ladies”
Parvathy Thiruvothu for “Ullozhukku (Undercurrent)”
Category: Best Writing
Anand Ekarshi for “Aattam”
Payal Kapadia for “All We Imagine As Light”
Biplab Goswami, Sneha Desai, Divy Nidhi Sharma for “Laapataa Ladies”
Chidambaram for “Manjummel Boys”
Dominic Sangma for “Rimdoggittanga (Rapture)”
Category: Best Cinematography
Sunil K. S. for “Aadujeevitham (The Goat Life)”
Ranabir Das for “All We Imagine As Light”
Rafey Mehmood for “Kill”
Shyju Khalid for “Manjummel Boys”
Tojo Xavier for “Rimdoggittanga (Rapture)”
Category: Best Editing
Aarti Bajaj for “Amar Singh Chamkila”
Shivkumar V. Panicker for “Kill”
Vivek Harshan for “Manjummel Boys”
Srijit Mukherjee for “Padatik”
A. Sreekar Prasad for “Paradise”
Stay tuned for the much-awaited Critics’ Choice Awards 2025, scheduled to take place on 25th March 2025.
Notes to the Editor
About Film Critics Guild
The Film Critics Guild, India’s first registered association of film critics, is a geographically diverse cross-section of professionals who have come together to streamline the ethical and quality standards for film criticism in the country. With India’s most credible critics — representing print, radio, broadcast, and the web — at its helm, the Guild is dedicated to maintaining the highest level of integrity amongst its members and evaluating works of cinema that stand apart in their storytelling.
For more details: - http://filmcriticsguild.com/
About GroupM Motion Entertainment
GroupM Motion Entertainment is a global content investment and rights management company that meets the market demand for new economic models for premium content across the entertainment and media marketplace. This is achieved by investing and partnering with the world’s leading talent, producers, and distributors to fund, develop, produce, and distribute premium content to help drive and support editorially and commercially vibrant, premium content networks and platforms for the global benefit of our content partners and advertisers. GroupM Motion Entertainment India’s IP includes the No.1 YAARI Series, Critics’ Choice Awards, Hello Sago, and others. Headquartered in London and Los Angeles, the business operates in 26 countries worldwide with Motion’s broad range of award-winning programming distributed globally. GroupM Motion Entertainment is part of GroupM, the world’s leading full-service media investment management operation, a WPP company.
About Vistas Media Capital
Vistas Media Capital is a media content and technology company, headquartered in Singapore, that operates and invests in ventures across the ecosystem of the global media and entertainment industry. The businesses and venture investments are diversified across Global Content Production and Distribution, Streaming Platforms across video and music, Animation & VFX Studio, Blockchain Technology and NFT (Non-Fungible Token), Gaming, Digital Media Marketing, Events and Award IPs.
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