Indian National Cine Academy Announces Inaugural Kalyan Jewellers INCA Awards Nominations; Dhurandhar, Lokah, Kantara: Chapter 1, Laalo, Rudra and Mirai Lead the List

Final winners to be selected by Industry Bodies representing film industries across India

The Indian National Cine Academy (INCA) today announced the nominations for the inaugural INCA Awards presented by Kalyan Jewellers, marking a significant milestone in creating a national platform that celebrates excellence across the diverse landscape of Indian cinema.

Established with the vision of encouraging collaboration among film industries across India’s multiple languages, INCA seeks to bring together artists, technicians, producers and industry institutions under a unified academy-led framework that recognises outstanding achievements in cinema. The initiative is supported by the Producers Guild of India as the Chief Patron.

Representing twelve film industries across twelve languages, INCA has been envisioned as one of the most inclusive academy platforms celebrating the collective strength and diversity of Indian cinema.

The nominations for the INCA Awards have been considered from films that were released theatrically between January and December 2025 and had formally applied for consideration for the awards.

The nominations this year span 25 award categories in total. This includes four principal awards Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress presented across each of the 12 Indian languages, along with 21 additional categories recognising excellence across Indian cinema as a whole, honouring achievements in performance, music, writing and technical crafts.

The nominations were shortlisted through an extensive review process conducted by the INCA jury panel comprising distinguished professionals from across the Indian film industry.

The Top 10 films leading this year’s nominations are Dhurandhar (17), Lokah Chapter One: Chandra (15), Kantara: Chapter 1 (13), Chhaava (13), Saiyaara (13), Laalo: Krishna Sada Sahaayate (12), Rudra (11), Mirai (10), Homebound (9) and The Girlfriend (8) emerged as the most recognised films in this year’s nomination list.

In keeping with INCA’s vision of institutional credibility and industry participation, the final winners will be selected by the respective Industry Bodies representing the various Indian film industries, ensuring that the honours reflect the collective voice and judgement of the film fraternity.

The INCA Awards Ceremony will take place on 16 April in Mumbai and is expected to witness the participation of leading filmmakers, actors, technicians, producers and industry leaders from across the country, making it one of the most significant gatherings of the Indian film fraternity.