SWA Awards 2026 Nominations: Aditya Dhar's Dhurandhar and Aryan Khan's The Ba***ds of Bollywood Lead the List

The Screen Writers Association handed out its 2026 nominations and the two names dominating the list are Aditya Dhar (Dhurandhar) and Aryan Khan (The Ba***ds of Bollywood). For a year where almost every major award has been a coronation in advance, SWA just made the writing categories the only genuine contest.

WHAT HAPPENED

DNA India's Bollywood coverage confirms that the Screen Writers Association (SWA) Awards 2026 nominations include major nods for Aditya Dhar for Dhurandhar and Aryan Khan for The Ba***ds of Bollywood. Both filmmakers also serve as writers on their respective projects, putting them in direct competition in the writing-craft categories.

INSIDER TAKE

SWA matters precisely because Filmfare and IIFA don't anymore. When a marquee awards ceremony is sponsored, telecast, and outcome-influenced by the same media network that owns the production company nominating itself, the trophy becomes a press release. SWA is voted by the writers' guild itself — peer-judged, not brand-judged. That's why a Best Story or Best Adapted Screenplay nod from SWA actually moves a writer's quote in deal negotiations the next week.

WHY IT MATTERS

If Aryan Khan wins for Best Original Screenplay, it removes the 'star kid' line of attack from his upcoming projects and reframes him as a writer-director, which is a structurally different career arc than the actor track Netflix originally tried to brand around him. If Dhar wins Best Adapted, the Rs 25 crore writer's fee tier just got a new floor.

WHAT FANS ARE MISSING

The SWA winner list doesn't include the writer-director credit split if a project is co-written. Watch whether the official nominee announcement names just Aditya Dhar or also names the Dhurandhar co-writers. That credit allocation is more important to writer-rooms than the trophy itself.

QUICK FACTS

• Awarding Body: Screen Writers Association (SWA)

• Year: 2026

• Major Nominees: Aditya Dhar (Dhurandhar), Aryan Khan (The Ba***ds of Bollywood)

• Awards Ceremony: 2026 calendar — date TBC

• Diaspora Note: Streaming/airing rights typically picked up by an OTT platform — confirmed details pending

• Significance: Peer-voted writing craft awards

FAQs

Q. What are the SWA Awards?

The Screen Writers Association Awards honour the year's best film and television writing in India. They are voted by the writers' guild itself, making them peer-judged rather than sponsor-judged.

Q. Who has been nominated for SWA Awards 2026?

Aditya Dhar (Dhurandhar) and Aryan Khan (The Ba***ds of Bollywood) lead the major nominations. The full list spans film, OTT, and television writing categories.

Q. Why are SWA Awards considered more credible than Filmfare?

Because they're voted by the writers themselves, not by brand-influenced juries. The credibility translates directly into post-win quote increases in deal negotiations.