RPSG Lifestyle Media Hosts The Honours Powered By The Hollywood Reporter India

The Hollywood Reporter India and RPSG Lifestyle Media, on February 18, celebrated the movies by honouring the best of what last year had to offer.

But this was no ordinary list. An inventive format — The Honours — an RPSG Lifestyle Media property powered by The Hollywood Reporter India, is a showcase of Indian entertainment at its finest.  These awards have been curated by the editorial team of The Hollywood Reporter India, that spent over six months watching, mulling, arguing and arriving at a list that honours teams — because storytelling is not one individual’s triumph. 

The event was kicked off by Avarna Jain, Chairperson RPSG Lifestyle Media, who spoke about what The Honours represents.

“This industry is rich with moments of celebration. But tonight is about something deeper. It is a statement. A homage. A conscious choice to value artistry over applause, and to honour excellence with integrity and meaning. Tonight is not just about applause. It is about recognising nuance,” she said. It’s about the editor, the writer, the cinematographer, and the technician, whose names may not always lead the marquee, but whose work gives meaning to everything that does, she noted.

The evening’s film awards went to Rishab Shetty’s Kannada drama Kantara: Chapter 1, Dominic Arun’s Malayalam actioner Lokah: Chapter 1 - Chandra, Neeraj Ghaywan’s moving friendship drama Homebound, Mohit Suri’s romance Saiyaara, and Mari Selvaraj’s sports drama Bison.

“I am so grateful, and I take this honour as a huge responsibility. I want to make good films and wish to make better films,” said Shetty, accepting the award. “I wanted to tell a story about the folklore and culture of my village in Karnataka. Once the film was released, it became pan-Indian…it was 250 days of rehearsals. My photo needed to be in the RIP photo four times. There was so much risk involved in shooting the film.”

Mari Selvaraj, in an emotional speech, thanked Pa Ranjith, his debut film’s producer, who couldn’t be in the room. “At a time when the rich and the powerful won, Bison proved that simple lives matter and simple lives and win," he said.

The series awards went to Black Warrant (Netflix), Black White & Gray — Love Kills (Sony LIV), Khauf (Amazon Prime Video), Paatal Lok Season 2 (Amazon Prime Video), and The Ba***ds of Bollywood (Netflix). 

Vikramaditya Motwane praised writers for soldiering on despite facing budget cuts and AI, while Pushkar Sunil Mahabal, the director of Black, White & Gray, asked the big guys to back content that is new and makes people ‘nervous’.

Kareena Kapoor Khan was awarded the The Honours Icon honour for her incredible contribution to the industry. The actress was thrilled that she could be awarded in a room where filmmakers like Imtiaz Ali, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, and Rajkumar Hirani, the collaborators of some of her finest films, were present.

The award for box-office achievement went to Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar headlined by Ranveer Singh.

The Honours Spotlight awards went to five individual names who have done exceptional work and disrupted the industry in 2025. It included Vicky Kaushal for Chhaava, Basil Joseph for Ponman, Lakshmipriya Devi for Boong, Dulquer Salmaan for Kaantha, and Rohan Kanawade for Sabar Bonda.

“I loved every moment of performing it. This is probably the first of the awards Kaantha has received,” said Dulquer Salmaan, going on to dedicate the award to Rana Daggubati, who co-produced the film with him. 

The evening was fittingly brought to a close by Anupama Chopra, the editor of The Hollywood Reporter India, with a quote from the legendary Roger Ebert. “He famously said: Of all the arts, movies are the most powerful aid to empathy, and good ones make us into better people.’ At THR India, we believe that great storytelling can change the world.  And hence, the Honours. Stay tuned for more.”