A fresh controversy has hit the industry as Raees director Rahul Dholakia took to social media on April 6, 2026, to call out Bollywood stars for their absence at the Chetak Screen Awards. In a stinging post that quickly went viral, Dholakia expressed his “extreme disappointment” that most nominees and winners failed to show up.
The “Show Up Only to Win” Culture
Dholakia critiqued the open secret of Indian award shows: stars often only attend if they are guaranteed a trophy. He argued that by skipping an event trying to “do something different,” the industry proved it lacks genuine professional unity. “It’s a fact that you are not one fraternity—you are the only one in your fraternity!” he remarked.
On Reddit, the reaction was polarized. While some users praised Dholakia for “spitting facts” about the industry’s transactional nature, others argued that award shows have lost credibility due to poor VFX, recycled humor, and biased wins.
Despite the snub, Dholakia ended on a resilient note, quoting Priyanka Sinha Jha: “Ayege—Zaroor Ayege” (They will come), signaling that despite the lack of support, the pursuit of rewarding real talent will continue.
Extremely disappointed ( Not surprised) that most people who were nominated for , and also won the awards did not show up to accept. I am not surprised because in most award functions, those winning it know in advance and attend only if there are winning- Disappointed because -…
— rahul dholakia (@rahuldholakia) April 6, 2026