SRINAGAR: Kashmir-set film ‘Baramulla’ has won two honours at the IIFA Digital Film Awards 2026, securing Best Picture and Best Story (Original), while Kashmiri writer Basharat Peer has jointly won the Best Story (Adapted) award for ‘Homebound’ at the 2026 International Indian Film Academy Awards.
According to the winners’ list announced by the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) on October 30, ‘Baramulla’ received the Best Picture (Digital/OTT) award, while its writers Aditya Dhar, Monal Thakkar and Aditya Suhas Jambhale jointly secured the Best Story (Original) honour in the same category.
Directed by Aditya Suhas Jambhale and produced by Aditya Dhar, the supernatural horror-thriller is set in Kashmir and revolves around a police investigation into the disappearance of schoolchildren, unfolding against the backdrop of the Valley’s troubled past and paranormal occurrences.
The narrative is set in December 2016 and follows DSP Ridwaan Sayyed, played by Manav Kaul, who is posted to Baramulla to investigate a series of mysterious disappearances involving children.
As the investigation progresses, he comes across a suspected network linked to extremist indoctrination and child trafficking. Meanwhile, unexplained incidents begin to occur at the old house where he has moved with his family.
His wife, Gulnaar, portrayed by Bhasha Sumbli, and their children encounter disturbing experiences inside the house, which is later connected to the spirits of a Kashmiri Pandit family killed in a massacre.
The film weaves together a criminal investigation and supernatural elements while exploring the impact of violence, displacement and unresolved historical trauma in Kashmir.
Besides Kaul and Sumbli, the cast includes Arista Mehta, Rohaan Singh, Ashwini Koul, Mir Sarvar and Vikas Shukla.
Meanwhile, Basharat Peer shared the Best Story (Adapted) award for ‘Homebound’ with Sumit Roy and Neeraj Ghaywan. The honour was announced under the main IIFA film awards, separately from the Digital Film Awards category in which ‘Baramulla’ secured its two awards.
