It was a big night for Kriti Sanon at the Zee Cine Awards 2026 as she clinched the Best Actor in a Leading Role (Female) trophy for her performance in Tere Ishk Mein. However, several social media users are not happy with the news. They expressed their disappointment, insisting that Yami Gautam was more deserving of the honour for her role in Haq.
Internet not happy
At the award ceremony, recently held in Mumbai, Kriti was named as Best Actor In A Leading Role (Female) for her role in Tere Ishk Mein. Other actors nominated for the trophy included: Yami Gautam for Haq, Triptii Dimri for Dhadak 2, Sonam Bajwa for Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat, Kangana Ranaut for Emergency and Aneet Padda for Saiyaara.
Not everyone on social media seemed convinced by Kriti’s win, with many social media users arguing that Yami was more deserving of the trophy for her performance in Haq. Several people took to platforms such as Reddit to voice their disappointment, sparking a wave of debate around the final decision.
One wrote, “Best Actress should’ve been Yami Gautum for Haq”, with another mentioning, “Here Yami and Kangana deserved it over Kriti and Alia. And because we like one more than the other, or one gets lesser awards than the other , doesn’t make it better.”
“Yami deserved it wth,” one comment read, with one writing, “Well Kriti is good too but Yami from haq deserve it.”
“I absolutely adore her but this is undeserved. I was just annoyed by her throughout the film, which I can’t quite tell if that was intended. Yami Gautam should’ve won. Or even Kangana Ranaut or Tripti Dimri.,” one wrote.
Another social media user shared, “No outrage over yami getting snubbed..?”, with one writing, “why did Yami not win this award?”
One comment read, “Yami deserved it, but since Kriti attended the show, of course it’s going to her.”
“This award belonged to Yami Gautam,” one pointed out. Another wrote, “Yami Gautam deserved it! Kriti Sanon was good, but Yami was brilliant!”
“Yami’s monologue in the court >>>>> whatever Kriti has done in her entire career,” one mentioned, with another sharing, “Yami was most deserving for this award”.
Aanand L Rai’s romantic drama Tere Ishk Mein follows the turbulent and passionate relationship between Shankar (Dhanush), a fiery student leader and Mukti (Kriti), a research scholar. After its release, the film slammed, with people calling it “toxic” and accusing the makers for promoting problematic behaviour. Tere Ishk Mein was released in theatres in November 2025. The film was touted to be a spiritual sequel to Aanand and Dhanush’s 2013 hit Raanjhanaa.
Yami Gautam in Haq
Helmed by Suparn Verma, the courtroom drama stars Yami and Emraan Hashmi in lead roles, alongside Sheeba Chaddha in a pivotal role. The film is inspired by the landmark Supreme Court judgement in Mohd. Ahmed Khan v. Shah Bano Begum, which dealt with matrimonial rights within Muslim households. Haq traces the journey of Bano, a woman who turns to the law after her husband marries his first love and denies financial support for their children.
The narrative explores her pursuit of justice and the complex intersection of personal faith, social customs and constitutional law. It was released in theatres on November 7 last year. Despite receiving positive reviews, the film managed to collect only ₹29 crore worldwide at the box office. However, the film has found its audience after it premiered on Netflix on January 2.
