IFFM Awards 2025 winners list: Neeraj Ghaywan's Homebound wins big; Abhishek Bachchan, Jaideep Ahlawat nab acting prizes

IIFM Awards full list of winners: As Homebound and indie film Angammal dominated the awards night, Abhishek Bachchan and Jaideep Ahlawat also won big.

Published on: Aug 16, 2025, 10:26:49 IST

By Abhimanyu Mathur

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The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) 2025 hosted its annual awards night on Friday, giving prizes to the best in Indian cinema and streaming from 2024-25. In a night filled with applause and cinematic pride, filmmaker Neeraj Ghaywan's Homebound won big, taking home both Best Film and Best Director. Abhishek Bachchan won Best Actor in a film, while Jaideep Ahlawat took home the corresponding award for a series. Geetha Kailasam and Nimisha Sajayan won the Best Actress awards. Indie film Angammal also won two prizes.

Abhishek Bachchan won Best Actor for a film, and Jaideep Ahlawat took the same prize for a series at the IIFM Awards 2025.

Aamir Khan was honoured with the prestigious Excellence in Cinema Award, while Arvind Swamy, Vir Das, and Aditi Rao Hydari were also bestowed with special honours on the night.

IFFM 2025 Awards: Full list of winners

Best Film: Homebound

Best Director: Neeraj Ghaywan (Homebound)

Best Indie Film: Angammal

Best Actor (Male) – Film: Abhishek Bachchan (I Want to Talk)

Special Mention – Best Actor (Male) – Film: Gugun Kigpen (Boong)

Best Actor (Female) – Film: Geetha Kailasam (Angammal)

Best Series: Black Warrant

Best Actor (Male) – Series: Jaideep Ahlawat (Paatal Lok Season 2)

Best Actor (Female) – Series: Nimisha Sajayan (Dabba Cartel)

Excellence in Cinema: Aamir Khan

Leadership in Cinema: Arvind Swamy

Disruptor Award: Vir Das

Diversity in Cinema: Aditi Rao Hydari

Equality in Cinema: Baksho Bondi

Best Short Film (India): Kalar Pencils by Dhananjay Santosh Goregaonkar

Best Short Film (Australia): Drifters by David Liu

About IFFM 2025

The 16th edition of IFFM opened on Thursday night in Melbourne with Aamir as the chief guest. A screening of Baksho Bondi opened the prestigious festival, which will continue till 24 August. Homebound, fresh from its Cannes success, will be the closing film of the festival. The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne, which has been held since 2009, is the largest celebration of Indian film outside India.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Abhimanyu Mathur
Abhimanyu Mathur is Deputy Editor, Entertainment at Hindustan Times. With almost 15 years of experience in writing about everything from films and TV shows to cricket matches and elections, he inhales and exhales pop culture and news. Currently, he watches movies and TV shows and talks to celebrities for a living, while occasionally writing about them as well. A journalism graduate of Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, Delhi University, Abhimanyu began his career with Hindustan Times at the age of 20, swapping classrooms for newsrooms at an early age. He began his journey in the early days of digital journalism, later switching to the madness of print journalism. Work has led him to far off places like Japan and Jordan, as well as to the interiors of Haryana and the Indo-Pak border. He dabbled in city reporting in places like Meerut, Gurgaon, and Delhi, covered the Olympics and Cricket World Cups, before finding his calling in entertainment and lifestyle during the pandemic. A Rotten Tomatoes Certified Film Critic, he is equally at home covering stories on ground as he is interviewing celebrities and studios, and sometimes prefers to shepherd teams in delivering traffic through the day. Even as his role has evolved from reporter to supervisor over the years, his first love remains writing (and of late, talking on camera). With a good understanding of cinema and its trends, and a keen eye for detail, he continues to spark conversations around showbiz for readers around the world.Read More

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