The Grand Hyatt in Mumbai's Santacruz was bathed in a serene blue glow on Monday night, setting a cinematic stage for The Times of India Film Awards (TOIFA) 2025. Presented by M3M India and powered by Panbahar Crystal, with Vzy India as a special partner, the grand ceremony celebrated excellence across both theatrical releases and digital streaming platforms.
A Night of Firsts and Female Power
The evening commenced on a solemn note with the National Anthem, paving the way for a historic event. TOIFA 2025 introduced a dedicated 'Honours for Women' category, recognising the formidable contributions of women in filmmaking. Payal Kapadia was celebrated as the Visionary Woman of the Year, while Guneet Monga and Kiran Rao were jointly honoured as the Powerful Voice of Cinema. Nandita Das received the Champions of Change award, marking a significant step in acknowledging female leadership.
Hosted with effortless charm by Neha Dhupia, Arjun Kapoor, and Aparshakti Khurana, the show adopted a breezy, OTT-style vibe, filled with witty banter and self-deprecating humour about their shared initials.
Theatrical Triumphs: Laapataa Ladies Reigns Supreme
The night unequivocally belonged to Kiran Rao's critically acclaimed film, 'Laapataa Ladies'. The heartwarming tale of two brides swapped on a train journey swept the major theatrical honours with quiet force. It clinched the prestigious Film of the Year award, while Kiran Rao herself won for Excellence in Direction.
The film's actors were also lauded: Sparsh Shrivastava won for Acting Excellence (Male), and the talented Nitanshi Goel was named Debut Actor of the Year. Behind the scenes, Sneha Desai won awards for both dialogue and screenplay, and Biplab Goswami was recognised for the story. The music of 'Laapataa Ladies' also dominated, with Arijit Singh winning for the song 'Sajni', Ram Sampath for music composition and background score, and Prashant Pandey for lyrics.
Other notable theatrical winners included Yami Gautam for Acting Excellence (Female) in 'Article 370', R Madhavan for a negative role in 'Shaitaan', and Janki Bodiwala as Supporting Actor (Female). The horror-comedy sequel 'Stree 2' also proved a crowd favourite, with Shraddha Kapoor and Rajkummar Rao winning the People's Choice awards for Acting Excellence.
OTT Excellence: Chamkila and Stellar Web Series Shine
The digital arena showcased its own array of stellar talent. Imtiaz Ali's 'Amar Singh Chamkila' was the undisputed champion of the web-film categories, winning the OTT Film of the Year award. Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra took home acting honours, with Imtiaz Ali winning for direction and writing, and A.R. Rahman for the background score.
In the web series domain, 'Mirzapur Season 3' was named Drama Series of the Year, while 'Panchayat Season 3' won for Comedy Series. 'Killer Soup' triumphed in the Crime/Thriller category, and 'The Great Indian Kapil Show' was crowned Reality Show of the Year. Acting accolades were spread across platforms: Jitendra Kumar won for 'Kota Factory Season 3', Manisha Koirala for 'Heeramandi', and Sonakshi Sinha for a negative role. Anubhav Sinha was honoured for Excellence in Direction and Showrunner for OTT for 'IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack'.
Emotional Tributes and Industry Recognition
The ceremony was punctuated by heartfelt moments. A tender sibling reunion occurred when actor Rupali Ganguly presented an award to her choreographer-brother, Vijay Ganguly, culminating in a joyful performance of their famous hook step. The most poignant segment was a moving tribute to the late legend Dharmendra, whose memory was honoured with the Outstanding Contribution to Cinema award, bringing the auditorium to a reflective standstill.
A special 'TOIFA Celebrates' segment paid homage to lifetime contributors, including a touching tribute to the iconic Gulzar. In another first, the awards introduced a new category to recognise the artistry of make-up and prosthetics experts.
The credibility of TOIFA 2025 was underscored by its rigorous selection process, managed by the TOIFA Academy, an influential Advisory Council featuring names like Siddharth Roy Kapur, Rajkumar Hirani, and Raveena Tandon, and a 35-member Screening Jury. The event successfully set a new benchmark for acknowledging the finest in Hindi-language cinema and digital storytelling.
