In an era defined by AI, industry transitions, and uncertainty, the Screenwriters Association (SWA) celebrated the vanguard of Indian storytelling at the 7th edition of the SWA Awards. The glittering evening honored writers who continue to push creative boundaries despite challenging times, with The Ba***ds of Bollywood, nail-biting thriller Stolen, and acclaimed prison drama Black Warrant emerging as the night’s biggest winners.
“In this era of AI, I am happy to see so many living, breathing, whole human beings,” said lyricist and SWA General Secretary, Raj Shekhar, at the ceremony, which presented 15 honours across feature films, web series, television, and lyrics.
“I am also very happy to tell you that 2026 will be a historic year when Indian screenwriters will get their royalties for the first time. A 12-year-long battle has been fought and thanks to the Screenwriters Rights Association of India (SRAI), an amount is coming from two Latin American countries, Uruguay and Chile. But even with this small amount, a big path to the future opens up,” Shekhar added.
Filmmaker Aryan Khan made a smashing debut at the SWA Awards, with his Netflix series The Ba***ds of Bollywood converting both of its nominations into wins in the Web Comedy/Musical/ Romance category. He won Best Dialogue, alongside the Best Screenplay honour, which he shared with co-writers Bilal Siddiqi and Manav Chauhan.
The feature film categories witnessed a similar sweep, with the thriller Stolen leading from the front with two major victories. Karan Tejpal, Gaurav Dhingra, and Swapnil Salkar “Agadbumb” clinched both Best Story and Best Screenplay for the film. Meanwhile, Reshu Nath took home the Best Dialogue (Feature Film) honor for the Yami Gautam-led drama Haq.
Siddhant Makkar, Chairperson of the SWA Awards 2026, revealed that the jury rigorously evaluated nearly 700 songs, over 80 television shows, close to 100 web series, and over 130 feature films to determine this year’s winners.
In the Web Drama segment, three titles split the top honours. Smita Singh was awarded Best Story for the atmospheric horror drama Khauf. Best Screenplay went to the writing team of Sudip Sharma, Abhishek Banerjee, Rahul Kanojia, and Tamal Sen for Paatal Lok – Season 2, while Satyanshu Singh and Arkesh Ajay secured the Best Dialogue honour for Black Warrant.
Check out the full winner’s list below:
1. Winner for Feature Film – Best Debut is Aranya Sahay for Humans in the Loop.
2. Winner for Web Drama – Best Story is Smita Singh for Khauf
3. Winners for Web Drama – Best Screenplay are Sudip Sharma, Abhishek Banerjee, Rahul Kanojia & Tamal Sen for Paatal Lok – Season 2
4. Winners for Web Drama – Best Screenplay are Satyanshu Singh, Arkesh Ajay for Black Warrant
5. Winners for Television – Best Story are Rajesh Joshi and Shabia Walia for Pushpa Impossible
6. Winner for Television – Best Screenplay is Harneet Singh for Itti Si Khushi
7. Winners for Television – Best Dialogue are Sneha Desai and Tushar Ishwer for Pushpa Impossible
8. Winners for Web Comedy/Musical/Romance-Best Story are Chirag Garg and Avinash Dwivedi for Dupahiya
9. Winners for Web Comedy/Musical/Romance-Best Screenplay are Aryan Khan, Bilal Siddiqi, Manav Chauhan for The Ba***ds of Bollywood
10. Winner for Web Comedy/Musical/Romance-Best Dialogue is Aryan Khan for The Ba***ds of Bollywood
11. Winner for TV/Web – Best Lyrics is Anvita Dutt for Naseeba from Black Warrant
12. Winner for Feature Film – Best Lyrics is Gulzar for Hum Fanaa from Gustaakh Ishq
13. Winners for Feature Film – Best Story are Karan Tejpal, Gaurav Dhingra, Swapnil Salkar “Agadbumb” for Stolen
14. Winners for Feature Film – Best Screenplay are Karan Tejpal, Gaurav Dhingra, Swapnil Salkar “Agadbumb” for Stolen
15. Winner for Feature Film – Best Dialogue is Reshu Nath for Haq
