Alia Bhatt stuns at BAFTA Awards 2026 with Hindi opening while presenting award; credits Raha for inspiration

Hollywood actor Alia Bhatt exuded desi vibes as she made her debut at the 2026 BAFTA Awards. The actor looked stunning in Gucci couture, dressed in a silver, glittering Gucci gown. Alia was invited to present the ‘Best Film Not in the English Language’ award. However, the actor didn’t speak in English but in Hindi.

Alia Bhatt opens with ‘Namaste’ at BAFTA: ‘Don’t switch to the subtitles yet’

Actor and host Alan Cumming introduced Alia on stage as a “hugely talented actress and entrepreneur” and said, “This means she has conquered both show business and business-business. But can she conquer the business of presenting at a BAFTA? I am sure she can. Please welcome one of India’s most loved and critically acclaimed actors – Alia Bhatt.”

After getting on stage, the actor opened in Hindi. “Namaskar. Agla award ek aisi film ke liye hai, jo angrezi mein nahi hai.” (The next award is for a film that is not in English.) She then cheekily switched to English and asked the audience to “not switch to the subtitles yet.”

She added, “While films speak in countless voices, what we always celebrate is the language of cinema, and that we all speak fluently. Let’s take a look at this year’s incredible nominees.”

The nominations for the ‘Best Film Not in the English Language’ included Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just an Accident, Kleber Mendonça Filho’s The Secret Agent, Óliver Laxe’s Sirāt, Kaouther Ben Hania’s The Voice of Hind Rajab, and Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value.

Earlier at the awards red carpet, Alia spoke about how her daughter Raha inspires her. She said, “I feel most myself in front of the camera. I love my job so deeply. But I have to say that my true source of inspiration and magic right now is my daughter. She’s three now, and watching her dance to my songs sometimes, I’m like, ‘That is life.'”

This was the first time that Alia became a presenter at the awards. Before her, Indian actresses like Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone were seen as presenters at BAFTA.

With Alia stepping into Deepika and Priyanka’s shoes, comparisons were inevitable, and she was compared with them. Many slammed trolls for unnecessarily speaking negatively about her, as she represented India on a global platform. Meanwhile, Priyanka and Deepika had their own distinct styles.

Work front

Alia’s next is Alpha and Love & War. While the shooting of the former has reportedly been completed, the latter is still in production.

Alpha was supposed to be released last year, but it has been postponed, and the new release date has not yet been announced. Meanwhile, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Love & War, which also stars Ranbir Kapoor and Vicky Kaushal, was slated to release in March this year, but that film too has been postponed, and the makers have not announced a new release date.