2026 Indian Film Festival of Melbourne announces nominees

The nominations for the 2026 Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) Awards were announced on July 8, setting the stage for a major celebration of Indian cinema and streaming content across languages and platforms. The festival, supported by the Victorian Government, is scheduled to run from August 13 to 23 in Melbourne.

A diverse slate of films is competing for top honors, with the Best Film category featuring eight nominees: "Haq," "Jarann," "Kantara: A Legend Chapter 1," "Lokah Chapter 1 Chandra," "Saiyaara," "Sitaare Zameen Par," "Sharthopor," and "The Great Shamsuddin Family." These titles represent a wide range of Indian languages including Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Malayalam, and Bengali.

In the acting categories, established stars and newcomers will contend for awards. The nominees for Best Performance (Male) are Aamir Khan for "Sitaare Zameen Par," Ahaan Panday for "Saiyaara," Bhuman Bhargav Das for "Not a Hero," Dulquer Salmaan for "Kaantha," Mammootty for "Kalam-Kaval: The Venom Beneath," Ranveer Singh for "Dhurandhar," Rishab Shetty for "Kantara: A Legend Chapter 1," and Sanjay Mishra for "Vadh 2." The Best Performance (Female) category includes Aneet Padda for...