BAFTA Awards 2026: Alia Bhatt turns presenter during ceremony, begins speech in Hindi

At the BAFTA Awards 2026 that were announced on Sunday, February 22, 2026, Bollywood star Alia Bhatt made her debut as a presenter as she announced the award for Best Film Not in the English Language. In a surprising move, the actor started her speech in Hindi.

Videos from the ceremony surfaced online, where Alia is heard saying, “Namaskar! Agla award ek aisi film ke liye hai, jo angrezi mein nahi hai (Greetings. The next award is for a film that is not in English).”

“Don’t reach for the subtitles just yet. I was only saying in Hindi that the next award is for a film not in the English language. Because while film speaks in countless voices, what we always celebrate is the language of cinema. And that one we all speak fluently. And the incredible nominees are,” she further added.

The award in the category went to Joachim Trier’sSentimental Value.

Alia wore a custom silver Gucci dress and donned a white stole to complement it. The actor was among a star-studded lineup of celebrities as presenters, which included the names of Alicia Vikander, Bryan Cranston, Cillian Murphy, Delroy Lindo, Emily Watson, Ethan Hawke, Gillian Anderson, Glenn Close, Hannah Waddingham, Monica Bellucci, Rege-Jean Page, Riz Ahmed, and Stellan Skargard, among others.

On the work front, she was last seen in Vasan Bala’s actioner, Jigra, which came out in 2024. She will be seen next in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Love & War, which also stars Ranbir Kapoor and Vicky Kaushal in pivotal roles.