The seventh edition of the Critics’ Choice Awards (CCA) was held in Mumbai last week. An initiative of the Film Critics Guild and GroupM Motion Entertainment, in collaboration with Vistas Media Capital, the awards honoured outstanding achievements in feature films, short films, documentary, 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, with its members voting for the winners in each category, selected from a diverse pool of nominees spanning multiple languages and platforms. t2 was present in the house and here are the highlights of the evening held at JW Marriott in Juhu.

1. MIC DROP!

Neha Dhupia, hosting the Critics’ Choice Awards for the fifth time in seven years, was joined behind the mic by CCA debutant Parambrata Chattopadhyay. The Tollywood actor, now a popular face on the national screen, engaged in some fun banter with Neha, as the two took turns to host the evening as well as came together for some segments. The icing on the cake was Param — still sporting his crew-cut from his upcoming film KillBill Society — captivating the audience with a soulful rendition of Mainu vida karo. That was preceded by him singing Ekla cholo re, even doing a version of it in the ‘Bachchan baritone’, from the end credits of his own 2012 film Kahaani.

2. HIS MASTER’S VOICE

Javed Akhtar, known for his winning blend of honesty, humour and heart, won over the audience with a Q&A on film criticism. Javed saab, as the veteran writer-poet is popularly known as, kicked off the evening with his thoughts on critics and criticism, answering a host of questions posted by eminent critic and The Telegraph columnist Bharathi Pradhan. Sholay to Superboys of Malegaon, Akhtar was his usual candid self, providing food for thought, especially when he pointed out that Superboys of Malegaon, produced by his children Farhan and Zoya Akhtar, hadn’t made a dent at the box office despite earning unanimously glowing reviews. When asked what his favourite song penned by him would be, Akhtar deadpanned: “The one I will be writing next!”

Veteran Javed Akhtar kept the audience in splits but also provided food for thought with in his Q&A about film criticism

3,4,5. KEEPING IT SHORT

The Short Films category had many a first-time winner, including seasoned actors Harish Khanna and Jyoti Dogra who won the Best Actor and Best Actress trophies respectively for their remarkable acts in Jal Tu Jalaal Tu and Taak. The audience rose to its feet for a standing ovation for both, even as the duo spoke about how much the honour meant to them.

Harish Khanna with his Best Actor trophy for the short film Jal Tu Jalaal Tu

In the rest of the categories, it was a clean sweep for Obur. Exploring themes of loss, memory and access in the digital age, the soulfully rich film, meaning ‘cloud’, won Best Short Film, Best Writing (Faraz Ali), Best Director (Faraz Ali), and Best Cinematography (Anand Bansal). “I made a film in and about Kashmir, but you don’t see a single military (personnel) in the film. That is my hope... that such a world should exist,” said Faraz Ali, as the audience applauded.

6. DOCU DRAMA!

A newly-introduced category in this edition of the awards, the Best Documentary honour, went to Nocturnes, a deeply meditative and wholly mesmerising documentary about two silent observers studying moths by night in the Himalayas.

“This film is deeply special to (co-director) Anupama (Srinivasan) and me, made at a time when we felt suffocated by urban life in Delhi — its pollution, its heat — and longed to reconnect with nature and rediscover childlike wonder. We created it with love, especially for young people and children, hoping they would step away from their devices and appreciate the simple beauty of trees, ants and butterflies around them,” said co-director Anirban Dutta after receiving the award.

7,8. POWER OF POACHER

Dominating the web-series category was Poacher. The Prime Video series in the Malayalam language, an incisive and eye-opening look at ivory poaching in India, was one of the big winners of the evening, scooping up trophies in a whopping six categories. That included Best Web Series, Director (Richie Mehta, Best Writing (Richie Mehta & Gopan Chidambaram), Best Actress (Nimisha Sajayan), Best Supporting Actor (Dibyendu Bhattacharya), and Best Supporting Actress (Kani Kusruti).

The Best Actor award in the Web Series category went to Barun Sobti for his stellar act in the slice-of-life clutter-breaking series Raat Jawaan Hai.

9,10. KANI-DOM!

The big (and definitely, very deserving) winner of the evening was Kani Kusruti. The actress, who has been having quite a year, followed up her Best Supporting Actress win for Poacher in the Web Series category with another Best Supporting Actress trophy for Girls Will Be Girls in the Feature Films section. She was also up on stage when All We Imagine As Light — for which she also snagged a nomination for Best Actress — took home the award for Best Film. Striking in a black sari and a simple braid, Kani’s childlike glee as she kept winning one award after another was one of the many heartwarming moments of the evening.

11. LIGHT & LOVE

Payal Kapadia’s globally-acclaimed film All We Imagine As Light was a top choice at CCA, winning in the top categories of Best Feature Film and Best Director (for Kapadia), as well as Best Cinematography for Calcutta boy Ranabir Das.

Diljit Dosanjh was adjudged Best Actor for his impactful performance as the fearless Amar Singh Chamkila in the Imtiaz Ali film. Diljit, who couldn’t be present, sent a heartfelt video message. Ravi Kishan, the Best Supporting Actor awardee for Laapataa Ladies, sent his son Saksham to collect his trophy. Loud cheers were reserved for Darshana Rajendran who beat out stiff competition to win the Best Actress CCA honour for the Malayalam film Paradise.

12. STANDING TALL

One of the top awards of the CCA, the Extraordinary Contribution to Cinema Award, went to the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) for their groundbreaking work in advocating for safety, equality and representation in the Malayalam film industry. Formed in 2017, the WCC emerged as a response to systemic challenges faced by women in the Malayalam film industry, including issues of sexual harassment and discrimination. Actress Parvathy Thiruvothu, a tireless advocate for creating safe spaces for women in the industry and beyond, was present in the house, along with colleagues Radhika Padmakumar and Malavika VN, to collect the award from filmmaker Zoya Akhtar and actor Konkona Sensharma.

13. GENDER BENDER

Richa Chadha, Preeti Panigrahi and Kani Kusruti receive the Gender Sensitivity award for Girls Will Be Girls from Guneet Monga Kapoor

The Gender Sensitivity Award befittingly went to Girls Will Be Girls. Fresh from a win at the Independent Spirit Awards, co-producer Richa Chadha led her team — that included actors Preeti Panigrahi and Kani Kusruti — to receive the trophy for their film which has been creating waves for its bold, raw and fearless depiction of the female experience, including the nuances of mother-daughter affection and rivalry, sexuality and autonomy over one’s body. “We are all super proud of this film and the places, platforms and podiums it is taking us to,” Richa later told t2.

14,15. SONG ’N’ DANCE

What’s an awards night without some song ’n’ dance, but in CCA style. Actress-singer Andrea Jeremiah, resplendent in red, won over the audience with her remarkable stage presence, singing her own hits Naan engu Pogiraen and Unna vida maaten.

Also bringing some fun to the stage was Raghav Juyal, a nominee for Best Supporting Actor for Kill. The dynamic actor-dancer, egged on by hosts Neha and Param, sportingly enacted some iconic steps in a game of dumb/dance charades.