‘Why did I say Gone Girl?’: Alia Bhatt settles the BAFTA controversy with a hilarious ‘Gunda’ twist at Chetak Screen Awards 2026

Over the years, Gunda has carved out a bizarrely iconic place in pop culture, celebrated for its over-the-top dialogues and for its unintentionally hilarious, cringe-laden cult appeal.

The evening also saw major wins across categories, with Dhurandhar emerging as the biggest winner, taking home 14 awards including Best Actor (Male) for Ranveer Singh and Best Director for Aditya Dhar. Homebound, directed by Neeraj Ghaywan, won Best Film, while Haq secured Best Actor (Female) for Yami Gautam Dhar.

What Alia Bhatt said

At the 79th British Academy Film Awards recently, Alia Bhatt had a viral moment, when she was asked to name a film with the biggest plot twist. After a pause, she replied, “Gone Girl.” When the host brought up the film’s famous “cool girl” monologue, she looked a bit confused. This soon caught attention online and became the primary subject of trolling. Later on, she even reacted to the chatter, in a conversation with fashion commentator Diet Sabya.

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Questioning why her answer became such a huge thing, Alia said, “Why is it being talked about so much? Is it because of my expression?” Explaining what happened during the interview, Alia shared what was going on in her mind at that time. She said, “So basically I really think it is the best twist but I have not liked watched it in…when did it release? 10 years ago? So I have not watched it after that.”

She further added, “So when she was like, ‘that monologue,’ I was like ‘haan’ (yes) and I was going back in my head that oh ya, ‘that monologue, correct correct correct’ and she was mentioned cleaning the floor and I was like like ‘haan’ (yes) so I was like going back in time and I guess that’s what you saw. I am a cool girl. I am a sweet girl. But I could be… total… I mean I can be like… I am more sweet than I am cool. Actually, I don’t think I am cool. I am uncool girl, my sister would say that.”

About Chetak Screen Awards 2026

Instituted by The Indian Express Group, the Chetak Screen Awards are among India’s most respected film honours, anchored in merit, integrity and peer recognition. The winners are decided by the independent Screen Academy, a not-for-profit body comprising 53 leading filmmakers, artistes and cultural voices.

After an initial shortlist, Academy members assess entries through a structured voting process. The evaluation framework, designed by Priya Jaikumar of the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, ensures a comprehensive review of creativity, technical craft, audience connect and innovation, with performance categories judged on authenticity.

The Screen Academy features an accomplished lineup of members including Shoojit Sircar, Deepa Mehta, Sriram Raghavan, Ram Madhvani, Guneet Monga Kapoor, John Abraham, Kabir Khan, Karan Johar, Mukesh Chhabra, Payal Kapadia, Prosenjit Chatterjee, Rajkumar Hirani, Resul Pookutty, Rima Das and Vidya Balan, among others — representing a diverse and influential cross-section of the industry.

Watch Chetak Screen Awards 2026 on YouTube