On Sunday, Alia Bhatt turned host for Screen Awards 2026, and shared the stage with comedians Zakir Khan and Sunil Grover. Sure, fans were in awe and had fun looking at Alia in an all-new role, but the internet doesn't seem to be very pleased by her hosting stint.
While fans were proud of her and praising her, many on the internet are disappointed with some calling her 'cringe' and others called her out for not looking confident.
Alia Bhatt turns host for Screen Awards 2026
Several videos and clips of Alia hosting the awards have been doing the rounds on social media, with one where she is talking about directors Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Mohit Suri, and Aditya Dhar, among others. What seems to be the problem is that everyone's been very quick to send out their reactions on social media, and in fact, some pointed out a bunch of issues with her being the host.
Someone said, "Flat face reactions by guests:", while another mentioned, "She is not looking confident." Many people seemed to have similar reactions, with some calling it 'overacting', while others highlighting how it was 'embarrassing', among other things.
Credit: X
Another person said, "Why she is making so many faces." A third person commented, "She is copying Priyanka Chopra. Priyanka Chopra used to anchoring in those years like a pro with srk." Other comments included, "She is so cringe", "She us overacting why talking about Aditya Dhar", "Nobody is laughing. Cringe", "Trying so hard, what a clown! Look at the flat reactions", and "She's trying so hard… but has failed miserably."
Nonetheless, as fans would have it, they seemed to be happy about her doing something new, and trying her hands at hosting. Someone said, "@aliaabhatt fabulous actress as far as I saw your performances in movies but you are not fit at stage dear". "Being a comedian is difficult bro, she is trying so hard," another said. Someone wrote, "Amazing work as a first time host Aloo." One said, "Your confidence is EVERYTHING."
Meanwhile, the Screen Awards 2026 were quite an interesting but also a very predictable series of awards, since Aditya Dhar's Dhurandhar managed to bag a total of 14 awards, including the Best Actor trophy. Neeraj Ghaywan's Homebound, meanwhile, was awarded the Best Film award.
As for Alia Bhatt, she is gearing up for Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Love And War with Ranbir Kapoor and Vicky Kaushal. She was last seen in Jigra and also has Alpha in the pipeline, which is slated for a release on July 10.
Social and lead image credits: Instagram/aliaabhatt