BAFTA Awards 2026: Alia Bhatt says 'Namaskar' as she presents award in Hindi; fans call her 'ICONIC'

Bollywood star Alia Bhatt made quite the impression with her debut at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards 2026. The actress who turned heads on the red carpet, channelling old Hollywood glam in a stunning silver gown, stepped up on the big stage as a presenter for the evening.

Alia, stunned the audience and viewers when she presented the trophy for Best Film Not in the English Language, delivering part of her presentation in Hindi before speaking in English.

Alia Bhatt presents in Hindi on BAFTA stage

After an impressive introduction from host Alan Cumming, Alia took to the stage and began with a "Namaste."In the true spirit of celebrating global storytelling, she began “Agla award ek aise film ke liye hain, jo angrezi me nahi hai.” After a brief pause, she quipped, "Don't reach for the subtitles just yet," before going on to explain that she was only introducing the next award category in Hindi.

Bhatt then went on to add, "While films speak in countless voices, what we celebrate is the language of cinema. And that one, we all speak fluently."

Fans react to Alia Bhatt speaking in Hindi

Reacting to the actress' impressive delivery, fans took to social media to call the moment "ICONIC". See how they reacted in the tweets below:

Alia Bhatt on cinema brining people together

On the red carpet, the actress shared her thoughts on presenting the award in the category. She said, "There’s nothing more powerful than human emotion and you don’t need language for that." Reflecting on her Bollywood and Hollywood film journey, she added, “My career started and blossomed in the Hindi film Industry. We may be divided by language or borders, but the language of cinema brings us together.”

'Sentimental Value' wins BAFTA for Best Film not in English Language

The award ultimately went to

Norwegian family drama

'Sentimental Value', which triumphed in a competitive category. The film was nominated alongside 'It Was Just an Accident', 'The Secret Agent', 'Sirat' and 'The Voice of Hind Rajab'.The film was up for eight nominations, but won the prize for just Best Film Not in English Language. With this win, the film is now a front-runner to win the Oscars in the Best Foreign Film category. The Joachim Trier directorial 'Sentimental Value' is nominated for an impressive nine Academy Awards, and is the first Norwegian to score a Best Picture nod.