The Indian Streaming Academy Awards 2025 is becoming a grand celebration of India’s OTT and digital storytelling landscape, as winners across series, films, and technical crafts were honoured in an evening that denotes how streaming has become a central part of modern entertainment.
In the Hindi series segment, Panchayat clinched Best Series, establishing itself once more as a fan favourite. Lootere’s director Jai Mehta won Best Director (Series), while Citadel: Honey Bunny bagged big acting honours: Varun Dhawan was adjudged Best Actor – Popular (Series) and Samantha Ruth Prabhu earned Best Actress – Popular (Series). The critics’ awards also saw standout performances like Jitendra Kumar (Jeetu Bhaiya) won Best Actor – Critics (Series) for Panchayat, and Sonali Bendre was awarded Best Actress – Critics (Series) for The Broken News. On the supporting front, Sikandar Kher and Saanvikaa (Pooja Singh) were recognised for their work in Aarya and Panchayat, respectively.
Turning to films, Imtiaz Ali’s biographical-musical venture Amar Singh Chamkila ruled as Best Web Original Film (Hindi), while in the non-Hindi segment, Anjan Dutt’s semi-autobiographical movie Chaalchitra Ekhon secured the same honour. Maharaj’s director Siddharth P. Malhotra won Best Director (Film). The acting honours in films saw Vikrant Massey take Best Actor – Popular (Film) for Sector 36, while Diljit Dosanjh claimed Best Actor – Critics (Film) for Amar Singh Chamkila. Parineeti Chopra landed Best Actress – Popular (Film) for the same film, and Divya Dutta won Best Actress – Critics (Film) for Sharmajee Ki Beti. Other victories included technical triumphs like Best Cinematographer (Film) going to Sylvester Fonseca for Amar Singh Chamkila, and Best Original Soundtrack (Film) awarded to A. R. Rahman for the same.
The awards also celebrated non-competitive and broader contributions: the documentary Yo Yo Honey Singh: Famous took home the prestigious award in its category, and story, production design, costume, and sound design awards were spread across both series and film titles like Panchayat, Heeramandi, and Bandish Bandits.
All in all, the 2025 Streaming Academy Awards didn’t just hand out trophies-they propelled the mapping out of a landscape where Indian digital content is diverse, regionally rich, and artistically pleasing. The winners’ list reads like a who’s who of the new wave in storytelling, proving that OTT is now a stage where creative ambition can flourish without any boundaries or limitations.
