The OTTplay Awards 2025 lit up Mumbai’s JW Marriott with a glittering celebration of India’s finest digital entertainment talent. Held on 22 March, the third edition of the country’s only pan-India OTT awards brought together the biggest stars and storytellers from across the nation, honouring the best in web series and films under the banner of ‘One Nation, One OTT Award‘.
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OTTPlay Awards 2025 in partnership with HT City, Co-Presented by Real Fruit Juice and Kuhl, Powered by StockGro and TV Broadcast Partner Zoom
The evening saw over 80 industry luminaries-including Manoj Bajpayee, Jaideep Ahlawat, Kajol, Jyotika, Rajkummar Rao, Nimisha Sajayan, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Sriimurali, Hina Khan, Kani Kusruti, Avinash Tiwary, and Aditi Rao Hydari-come together in a spectacular show of talent and unity. Hosts Aparshakti Khurana and Kubbra Sait brought infectious energy to the stage, guiding audiences through a night packed with memorable moments.
Big wins and brilliant moments
The OTTplay Awards 2025 celebrated a stellar line-up of content, with major wins for Panchayat, Girls Will Be Girls, Freedom at Midnight, Paatal Lok, Poacher, IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack, and Black Warrant.
Manoj Bajpayee (Despatch) and Anupam Kher (Vijay 69) won Best Actor (Popular and Critics, respectively), while Kajol (Do Patti) and Parvathy Thiruvothu (Manorathangal) were honoured in the Best Actress categories.
The web series segment delivered emotional highs and iconic reunions. Jyotika (Dabba Cartel) won Best Supporting Actor (Female), presenting the Critics’ Best Actress award in fluent Marathi to her co-star Nimisha Sajayan (Poacher), in a heartfelt on-stage reunion.
Jaideep Ahlawat (Paatal Lok Season 2) and Raghav Juyal emerged victorious in the Critics’ and Popular categories for Best Actor (Male), while Aditi Rao Hydari was recognised for her impactful performance in Heeramandi.
The night was also marked by cross-generational celebrations. Anupam Kher and Shekhar Suman took the stage to cheer on Patralekha, who won Breakthrough Performance (Female) Series for her turn in IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack, while her husband Rajkummar Rao led the standing ovation. Kher also treated the audience to an impromptu acting masterclass by performing a powerful scene from his 1984 classic Saaransh.
Winners also included The Fabulous Lives Vs Bollywood Lives and Shark Tank, as the awards celebrated the full spectrum of India’s OTT ecosystem-from legacy icons like Rakesh Roshan and Rajesh Roshan to emerging stars such as Avneet Kaur, Neeraj Madhav, Sidhant Gupta, and Sunny Kaushal.
Reunions and reflections
The evening witnessed iconic reunions that delighted fans and peers alike. The Family Man trio-Manoj Bajpayee, Priya Mani, and Neeraj Madhav-shared the stage for the first time since Season 1, joined by Jaideep Ahlawat, the upcoming season’s antagonist and one of the evening’s big winners.
Manoj Bajpayee also reconnected with director Sanjay Gupta and publicly applauded Nimisha Sajayan’s rising body of work. Meanwhile, Fanaa fans revelled in nostalgia as Kunal Kohli presented Kajol with her award for Do Patti.
The Kannada film industry was proudly represented, with special felicitations for Sriimurali and Ashwini Puneeth Rajkumar. Miheeka Daggubati also accepted the Best Talk Show Host award on behalf of her husband, Rana Daggubati.
One Nation, One OTT Award
Commenting on the significance of the event, Avinash Mudaliar, CEO and Co-Founder of OTTplay, said, “At the OTTplay Awards, we honour the creators who challenge convention, the performers who redefine excellence, and the stories that resonate across languages and regions. With our ‘One Nation, One OTT Award’ vision, the OTTplay Awards are designed to transcend linguistic, regional, and platform-specific boundaries-recognising the finest in web series, OTT films, and digital storytelling from every corner of India’s dynamic entertainment ecosystem. This is more than an awards ceremony for me; it is a celebration of a cultural shift-a tribute to a golden era of streaming that is not arriving but already here. OTTplay Awards – Where India’s stories find their spotlight.”
As the night concluded with Raghav Juyal’s rousing speech and signature slow motion hook step, the OTTplay Awards 2025 stood as a vibrant testament to the dynamic future of Indian storytelling-united by content, creativity, and culture.
The OTTplay Awards 2025 is co-presented by Real Juice and Kuhl, powered by StockGro, and held in association with HT City. Zoom is the official broadcast partner. Flipkart Spoyl is the exclusive style partner, with D Pauls (travel), Amante (premium lingerie), and Propshop (real estate) as associate partners. Aussie Lamb and Krishinet Fibre are special partners, while UDigital is the ISP and IPTV partner, and Hyperlink the event partner.
About OTTplay
OTTplay Premium is India’s pioneering OTT aggregator, redefining content discovery and consumption with AI-driven recommendations. Offering a curated selection from 40+ leading OTT platforms, it delivers a personalised viewing experience tailored to individual preferences.
