Screenwriters Association Awards 2026: Aryan Khan wins big for Ba***ds of Bollywood; check out full list of winners

7th Screenwriters Association Awards: Aryan Khan clinches debut writing title as The Ba***ds of Bollywood dominates.

Updated on: May 24, 2026, 14:11:10 IST

By Santanu Das

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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.

Aryan Khan, and Gulzar won major awards at the Screenwriters Association Awards.

“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.

Bilal Siddiqi and Manav Chauhan were present to collect the honour for Best Screenplay for The Bads of Bollywood.

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

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Santanu Das
Santanu Das is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with over 5 years of experience, writing on films, pop culture and film festivals. He has a keen interest in writing about South Asian independent films and has covered several film festivals, including Sundance and CPH: Docx. He also brings a sharp perspective to the monthly column called The Fault in Our Stars, where he writes about a recent film/series and what stops the ‘good’ from becoming ‘great’. A gold medalist from Banaras Hindu University, Santanu completed his postgraduate studies in English from Jadavpur University. He is also a Rotten Tomatoes-certified film critic. When not watching films or speaking to celebrities, Santanu can be found reading a book. Some of his favourite films are Aparajito, Ponyo and The Double Life of Veronique. His favourite books include The Corrections, The God of Small Things and A Room of One's Own. Santanu continues to write passionately about films and celebrity culture. He brings a relatable, as well as critically informed, lens to entertainment and culture for a wide audience. Find him on LinkedIn: santanudasfilm Instagram: @santupechaRead More

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