Nikkhil Advani stands out as one of the top talents in Indian cinema. He burst onto the scene with his debut film, Kal Ho Na Ho, and has since explored various genres through his films and series. However, it was his exceptional work on the Sony Liv series Freedom at Midnight that truly impressed everyone. His directorial skills earned him the Best Director (Web Series) Award at the third OTTplay Awards 2025, which took place in Mumbai on March 22.

Nikkhil Advani and Pradeep Mallai are co-recipients of the Best Director Award

Freedom at Midnight, based on the book of the same name, is brought to life by Nikkhil Advani, who both created and directed the series. It explores the partition of India in 1947 and features some outstanding performances.

During the awards ceremony hosted by Aparshakti Khurana and Kubra Sait, Nikkhil Advani received his award from Anu Malik. He expressed his gratitude, saying, “Thank you, Anu ji. Your music has been a tremendous source of inspiration for me over the years. I appreciate HT OTTplay for this incredible honor." He continued, "I've wanted to work on Freedom At Midnight for 25 years, and it took us 4 years to bring it to life. Thank you all so much.”

In addition, another rising star from South India, Pradeep Maddali, also took home an award. His direction of a hit Telugu series earned him the Best Director (Web Series) Award at the third OTTplay Awards 2025, which took place in Mumbai on March 22.

Pradeep Maddali shared his excitement, stating, “It’s a tremendous honor to be here. I want to thank OTTplay, my parents, and my entire team. This award is for all of us, and it definitely adds to my responsibilities.”

Pradeep Maddali has made a notable shift from engineering and IT to become a rising star as a director in Telugu cinema. He first gained attention with his OTT mystery, 47 Days, followed by the heartfelt spiritual series, Sarvam Shakthi Mayam. Now, with Vikkatakavi, he’s reaching new heights in his career.

While Freedom at Midnight is currently streaming on Sony Liv, you can catch Vikkatakavi on Zee5 and OTTplay Premium.

The OTTplay Awards 2025 brought together the biggest names in the Indian OTT industry, celebrating the theme "One Nation, One Award." Stars like the Roshans, Kajol, and Manoj Bajpayee were recognized at the event, which featured celebrities from various film industries, including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada.

Co-presented by Real Juice and Kuhl, and powered by Stock Gro, the OTTplay Awards 2025 was a marquee event in collaboration with HT City. Flipkart Spoyl served as the exclusive style partner, while D Pauls handled travel arrangements. Amante was the premium lingerie partner, Propshop took care of real estate, and Aussie Lamb and Krishinet Fiber were special partners. UDigital provided ISP and iPTV support, and Hyperlink was the event partner.

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