Kolkata, August 13, 2026: Following the unprecedented success of the Chetak Screen Awards earlier this year, Screen Academy has continued to bring together some of the film industry’s leading voices, with producers and actors Aamir Khan and John Abraham, costume designer Maxima Basu, director RS Prasanna, among those holding masterclasses for Screen Scholars. Screen Academy is now thrilled to announce its newest members.
They include Yash Raj Films CEO Akshaye Widhani, Junglee Pictures CEO Amrita Pandey, directors and producers Nikkhil Advani, Harman Baweja and Madhur Bhandarkar, director and actor Anand Tiwari, musician Ankur Tewari, director and screenwriter Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, and screenwriter Bhavani Iyer. More members will be added in the days to come. The new inductees will join a panel of some of the most accomplished and influential voices across Indian cinema, spanning direction, production, acting, writing, cinematography, design, music and other key filmmaking disciplines.
Priyanka Sinha Jha, COO, Screen Academy, said in a statement, “Our endeavour with Screen Academy has always been to promote excellence in cinema, and this year we’ve been proud to deepen that commitment. Through Masterclasses with industry experts like superstar Aamir Khan, actor-producer John Abraham, director R.S. Prasanna, costume designer Maxima Basu, and through Film Club discussions on films as varied as Sholay, Tighi, Sabar Bonda, Bad Girl and Humans In The Loop, we’re helping Screen Fellows (students) build a richer, more informed understanding of the craft. These are the same Fellows who’ve earned scholarships to FTII, SRFTI and WWI, and it’s a privilege to support them as they begin their filmmaking journeys.”
What is Screen Academy?
A not-for-profit initiative of the Indian Express Group, supported by Founding Patron Lodha Foundation and generously supported by TAFE, Screen Academy promotes Indian storytelling by awarding scholarships to deserving film students at premier film schools in India. Students go through a rigorous selection process run by revered academic Anjum Rajaballi.
Screen Academy brings together some of the country’s leading creative and industry figures, including Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra, Prime Video India head Gaurav Gandhi, and filmmakers Karan Johar, Payal Kapadia, Guneet Monga, Namit Malhotra, Rajkumar Hirani, Siddharth Roy Kapur and Tanuj Garg, among many others, who spend time engaging with and mentoring Screen Scholars.
In addition to its education mission, Screen Academy members also vote for the winners of the Screen Awards, using grading criteria established by Dr. Priya Jaikumar, Professor of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. This distinguished voting body brings credibility and industry expertise to the awards and their recognition of excellence in Indian cinema.
Chetak Screen Awards
The Chetak Screen Awards, hosted by Alia Bhatt, Zakir Khan, Sunil Grover and Saurabh Dwivedi, have clocked over 2 billion views on digital platforms alone, making it one of the most watched and engaged film award shows in Indian history.
