BAFTA Awards 2025: Sandhya Suri's Santosh, Karan Kandhari's Sister Midnight nominated alongside Dev Patel's Monkey Man

Two Indian filmmakers - Sandhya Suri and Karan Kandhari - earned nominations at the prestigious BAFTA Film Awards 2025, announced on Tuesday.

The nominations for the BAFTA Film Awards 2025 were announced on Tuesday evening in an online ceremony hosted by Mia McKenna-Bruce and Will Sharpe. While All We Imagine As Light brought cheer for India with its nomination, two other Indian filmmakers added to the joy. Sandhya Suri and Karan Kandhari were nominated for their films Santosh and Sister Midnight.

Both filmmakers secured nominations in the Outstanding Debut by British Writer, Director or Producer category by virtue of producing their films in the UK. Sandhya Suri was nominated alongside James Bowsher and Balthazar de Ganay for Santosh, while Karan Kandhari secured their nomination for Sister Midnight. The two are competing against another Indian-origin filmmaker in the category - Dev Patel - who was nominated for his directorial debut, Monkey Man. The three compete with Luna Carmoon for Hoard and Richard Peppiat for Kneecap.

About Santosh and Sister Midnight

Karan Kandhari is an Indian filmmaker who made his debut with Sister Midnight, a horror-comedy. The film was produced after receiving a million-pound grant from the British Film Institute in 2022 and stars Radhika Apte, Ashok Pathak, Chhaya Kadam, and Smita Tambe. It premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last year and has earned rave reviews.

Santosh is a crime drama that marks Sandhya Suri's directorial debut. It is produced by British filmmakers Mike Goodridge, James Bowsher, Alan McAlex, and Balthazar de Ganay. Set in rural India, it stars Shahana Goswami as a widow who inherits her husband's police job and must investigate a gruesome murder. The film also stars Sunita Rajwar and was the UK's entry for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards.

All about the BAFTA Awards

The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTA Awards, are given by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and are considered the British equivalent of the Oscars. The BAFTA Awards 2025 will be held on 16 February. The awards will be streaming live in India on Lionsgate Play.