Filmfare Awards 2025 Best Actor: Kartik Aaryan and Abhishek Bachchan share the Black Lady in rare tie

The 70th Filmfare Awards delivered a headline twist this year: Best Actor in a Leading Role (Male) was awarded to two stars—Kartik Aaryan for Chandu Champion and Abhishek Bachchan for I Want to Talk. Presented at Ahmedabad’s EKA Arena, the dual win crowned a night where mainstream box-office momentum and character-driven drama stood shoulder to shoulder, signaling a healthier balance at the summit of Hindi cinema.

Why a split Best Actor win matters this year

Ties at Filmfare are uncommon, which makes this outcome more than a trivia nugget—it’s a snapshot of a year that resisted a single, sweeping narrative. Aaryan’s physically transformative turn in Chandu Champion rode a surge of audience goodwill and sports-drama craft, while Bachchan’s I Want to Talk carved out space for introspective, mid-scale storytelling. Both performances brandish different virtues: one external and kinetic, the other interior and tensile. Honoring both widens the aperture of what “Best Actor” can look like in the current market.

The context: how the rest of the night framed Best Actor

Laapataa Ladies dominated the ceremony, taking Best Film, Best Director (Kiran Rao), and a brace of writing and music honors, underlining the industry’s appetite for fresh, women-forward storytelling with populist charm. Alia Bhatt earned Best Actress for Jigra, consolidating a run of top-tier leads, while Rajkummar Rao was named Best Actor (Critics) for Srikanth, keeping the critics’ lane as a counterweight to blockbuster visibility. In supporting categories, Ravi Kishan (Laapataa Ladies) and Chhaya Kadam (Laapataa Ladies) added emotional heft to the film’s sweep, proof that ensemble strength still drives awards gravity.

Reading the tea leaves: what the tie signals for careers and casting

For Kartik Aaryan, the Black Lady arrives as validation of a calculated pivot from rom-com heartthrob to disciplined, prestige-leaning lead. Expect scripts that foreground grit—biographical arcs, high-stakes procedurals, and physically demanding roles that exploit his new credibility. Abhishek Bachchan, meanwhile, extends a late-career purple patch grounded in restraint and tonal control; the takeaway for casting directors is clear: pair him with directors who prize timing, silence, and moral ambiguity and he’ll reward you with layered returns.

Industry pulse: a year that rewarded range

The 2025 slate refused neat binaries. Big-canvas entertainments coexisted with modestly budgeted dramas that traveled far on word of mouth. The Best Actor tie crystallizes that blur. Instead of forcing consensus toward one taste profile, voters embraced multiplicity—letting an athletic showpiece and a measured character study both stand as the year’s acting North Stars. It’s also a reminder that Hindi cinema’s mid-budget ecosystem, often squeezed by franchise logic, can still mint awards muscle when the writing is tight and the tonal ambition is clear.

Quick recap: marquee winners that shaped the narrative

• Best Actor (Male): Kartik Aaryan (Chandu Champion), Abhishek Bachchan (I Want to Talk)

• Best Actress (Female): Alia Bhatt (Jigra)

• Best Film: Laapataa Ladies

• Best Director: Kiran Rao (Laapataa Ladies)

• Best Actor (Critics): Rajkummar Rao (Srikanth)

• Best Supporting Actor: Ravi Kishan (Laapataa Ladies)

• Best Supporting Actress: Chhaya Kadam (Laapataa Ladies)

• Music & Writing highlights: Ram Sampath’s album for Laapataa Ladies; Sneha Desai’s writing wins; Arijit Singh’s “Sajni” lands Playback (Male)

What to watch next

• Project slates: Whether Aaryan leans into sports/procedural realism and if Bachchan doubles down on morally knotty protagonists.

• Awards season carryover: How this Filmfare map aligns (or clashes) with guild and critics’ circles over the next quarter.

• Greenlights that follow: The ripple effect for character-first films after Laapataa Ladies’ broad haul—especially mid-budget dramas with ensemble depth.