For every actor, the first award carries a special meaning. It marks recognition, validation and the beginning of a new journey. Young actor Aishwarya Thackeray experienced this milestone when he won the Best Debut Male (Jury Choice) honour at the News18 Showsha Reel Awards 2026. He received the award for his performance in the film Nishaanchi, directed by Anurag Kashyap.
The young actor’s debut performance has already drawn attention from critics and audiences alike. Winning a jury award for his very first film has placed him firmly among the promising new talents in the industry.
For Aishwarya Thackeray, the recognition meant far more than just receiving a trophy. While accepting the award, he shared a thoughtful message about the responsibility that comes with such honours.
“For me, an award is not just recognition. It is a responsibility to do better work and bring better stories to audiences,” he said during his speech.
His words reflected the seriousness with which he views his craft. Rather than treating the award as a destination, he described it as motivation to keep improving and exploring meaningful storytelling.
The Best Debut Male award was decided by a distinguished jury panel that included filmmaker Priyadarshan, director Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, actor Tanvi Azmi, acting coach Saurabh Sachdeva, casting director Shruti Mahajan, actor Mahima Chaudhry and film critic Tavishi Paitandy.
After receiving the award, Aishwarya took to social media to share photographs with the trophy. In his post he wrote, “The very first. Thank you CNN News18. Thank you to my family on Nishaanchi.” The post quickly received congratulatory messages from members of the film industry and fans.
He also expressed gratitude to his director Anurag Kashyap, saying that beginning his film journey under the guidance of such an influential filmmaker was a privilege.
Aishwarya also acknowledged the support of his co actors, including Vedika Pinto, Monika Panwar, Zeeshan Ayyub, Kumud Mishra and Vineet Kumar Singh.
He ended his acceptance speech by reciting a short poem he had written himself:
“Raaste main apne banaunga, galtiyan meri ab na badhaunga,
Kaamyabi paane ke baad bhi duniya sabko sunaunga.”
The lines reflected his determination to continue learning while remaining grounded.
With a powerful debut in Nishaanchi and recognition at a major awards platform, Aishwarya Thackeray has taken an impressive first step in his acting career. If his debut is any indication, audiences can expect to see much more from this emerging talent in the years ahead.
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