Subedaar has earned the Best Feature Film honor for India at the Asian Academy Creative Awards, giving Anil Kapoor’s latest project a major international recognition. Kapoor has also received a nomination in the Best Actor in a Leading Role category for his performance in the action drama, while director Suresh Triveni is nominated for Best Direction (Feature Film).
Kapoor Reacts to the Recognition
Kapoor plays retired soldier Arjun Maurya in the film and marked the announcement by sharing a moment from the awards broadcast on social media. The actor called the recognition a special point in his career and thanked the film’s team and those who supported the project.
Kapoor also highlighted Triveni’s nomination, reflecting on their experience of making the film together. His comments came after the Asian Academy Creative Awards announced the national winners across a wide range of categories representing countries and territories throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
Story of a Soldier Returning Home
The film follows Arjun Maurya after he leaves military service and attempts to settle back into civilian life. Set in Madhya Pradesh, the story explores his difficulties adjusting to life outside the armed forces while tensions surrounding his family and community gradually intensify.
Arjun’s relationship with his daughter Shyama, played by Radhikka Madan, forms an important part of the story. When he encounters corruption and growing threats around his family, his military experience becomes central to the way he responds to the challenges facing him.
The cast also includes Khushbu Sundar, Saurabh Shukla, Aditya Rawal, Mona Singh and Faisal Malik. Directed by Triveni, Subedaar premiered on Amazon Prime Video on March 5.
Asian Academy Creative Awards Announce National Winners
Subedaar was among 335 national winners announced across 39 categories. The awards cover 18 nations and territories, with the winners now moving forward to the international stage, where they will compete for the grand awards.
The international winners are scheduled to be revealed during the gala awards final at Singapore’s Capitol Theatre in December. The national round brings together productions from film, television, streaming and factual entertainment.
Prime Video India recorded 19 wins, matching Astro Malaysia’s tally, while Mediacorp led the company rankings with 23 awards. CNN collected 15 wins, including recognition in factual programming categories.
Strong Showing Across the Asia-Pacific
Several productions from across the region also recorded multiple victories. Chinese drama The Lead collected six awards, including Best Actress in a Leading Role for Liu Haocun, while Legend of the Magnate won Best Drama Series.
In Japan, Song of the Samurai secured five awards, while Alice in Borderland was named Best Drama Series. India’s The Family Man Season 3 was among the productions to collect four wins, alongside China’s Swords Into Plowshares.
Other notable results included Malaysia’s Malam Terlarang, which collected four awards, and Thailand’s Enigma Black Stage, which also won four categories. Singapore’s animated feature The Violinist received three awards, including Best Feature Film, Best Animation and Best Screenplay.
Awards Move to International Round
Awards chair Beverley McGarvey said the results demonstrate the range of storytelling emerging from the Asia-Pacific region. She noted that entries remained at a similar level to the previous year and said the awards provide a broad platform for regional content.
The judging process takes place in two stages. Industry professionals from broadcasters, streaming platforms, production companies, distributors, buyers and screen agencies first assess entries within their respective national categories before the successful productions advance to the international round.
For Subedaar, the national feature film award now puts the Anil Kapoor-led drama among the Indian productions competing for further recognition at the final stage of the Asian Academy Creative Awards.