KUMAR RAJ RECEIVES BEST DIRECTOR AWARD — HISTORY MADE AT KOHINOOR FILM FESTIVAL (JAN 2026)

By Arjun Hale
The Silver Screen Review, London

UNN: In what many are already calling a watershed moment for Indian cinema, Kumar Raj received the Best Director Award at a glittering, star-studded ceremony at the prestigious Kohinoor Film Festival in January 2026. The announcement was met with thunderous applause and a prolonged standing ovation, as industry heavyweights and international critics alike acknowledged the arrival of a filmmaker who has fundamentally altered the cinematic conversation around women-led narratives.
Long regarded as a director who dares to defy convention, Kumar Raj has built a formidable body of work with films such as Tara and Ameena, crafting stories that place women at the emotional and moral centre of society. His cinema is celebrated for transforming complex social issues into deeply poetic, accessible, and profoundly human experiences — a balance few filmmakers manage to achieve with such consistency.
The magnitude of this honour is amplified by the astonishing theatrical run of Ameena, which has now entered its 95th week in cinemas and is steadily advancing toward a historic 100-week milestone. No film in the past three decades has achieved such longevity, a fact that has left trade analysts and exhibitors stunned.
As voices across continents echo the same sentiment, one thing is clear: this is not merely an award victory. It is a defining cultural moment — proof that cinema rooted in meaning, sensitivity, and courage can still command audiences, break records, and carve its place in history.