Women in Entertainment 2026 | THR India

The Hollywood Reporter India hosted the second edition of its Women in Entertainment event at the Fairmont Mumbai, unveiling the Power List 2026 in partnership with the De Beers Group. Avarna Jain, chairperson of RPSG Lifestyle Media, opened the evening with a sharp address on what it costs women to build careers in entertainment, while Anupama Chopra, editor of The Hollywood Reporter India, presented the Power List honouring names including Rani Mukerji, Zoya Akhtar, Kajol, Kiran Rao, Jyotika, Huma Qureshi, Guneet Monga Kapoor, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Sonam Bajwa, and Santhy Balachandran, co-writer of Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra.

Samantha delivered the keynote, calling on women to stop apologising for their ambition and dreaming of a day when "female-led" stops being treated as a category. Santhy took home the Changemaker of the Year award for her work on India's first female superhero film, while Rani received the Timeless Icon Award following her National Award win for Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway. Aneet Padda was named Breakthrough Artist of the Year for Saiyaara. Shabana Azmi presented the final award of the night.