Actor Alia Bhatt’s turn as host at the Screen Awards 2026 in Mumbai is continuing to draw flak, with a section of viewers slamming her act as “forced and fake”. The criticism has sparked a wider conversation online, with many calling for a return to seasoned anchors. Now, actor and television host Mini Mathur has seemingly echoed the sentiment.
Mini Mathur throws shade at Alia Bhatt
Earlier this month, Alia took on hosting duties at the Screen Awards 2026 in Mumbai, sharing the stage with comedian Zakir Khan and actor Sunil Grover. Later, a content creator named Janani posted a video critiquing her performance.
Sharing a video of Alia hosting the event, Janani said, “This was hard to watch. This is not easy to get through. I think the only person who accurately covered the reactions throughout this show was Raj Babbar… What is going on with award shows? I don’t think I’ve been excited for any Indian award show for a few years now… If Alia Bhatt wasn’t hosting this one, I wouldn’t even know this existed.”
Talking about Alia Bhatt’s hosting skills, the content creator shared, “This is what you get when you have made your entire brand and personality as the hot girl, the unapproachable girl, the cool girl, and all of a sudden to pivot into, ‘I’m a quirky, dorky, just like the rest of you’ is just not working.”
“It was so forced, it felt so fake. I wasn’t buying it. I don’t think she was buying it… And to stick her between two comedians didn’t help in the way that they thought it would, because one of them is a misogynist, and the other one was doing an Aamir Khan bit. I don’t think Aamir Khan is that relevant anymore that we find an imitation of him funny, and the whole Aamir Khan not coming to award shows is way too old and beaten to death.”
Breaking down what didn’t work at the award show, Janani shared, “I don’t know who to blame here, the writing or the delivery of the jokes, because nobody cares about Alia Bhatt shooting a film with Sanjay Leela Bhansali in 2016 and now in 2026. To be a good host, you need a degree of believable self-awareness. I don’t think Alia has. I think the only person who’s successfully been able to do that is Shah Rukh Khan. This award show was a mess.
“I feel like the entire budget went on getting Alia Bhatt to host, because tell me why, even when she was cracking jokes, they didn’t even have the budget to include a fake laugh track. They just kept the awkward silence in. That makes no sense.”
The content creator then stressed that it is important to bring hosts back. “Where’s Simi Garewal? Where’s Manish? Where’s Shaan hosting Sa Ra Ga Ma Pa? We need to bring back good hosts because this isn’t working,” she ended.
The views expressed in the reel also found endorsement from Mini Mathur, who gave them a clear thumbs up. The actor-host is widely recognised for her anchoring prowess and has notably hosted six seasons of the singing reality show Indian Idol.
Taking to the comment section, Mini Mathur wrote, “Thank you. Someone finally said it”.
Her comment sparked many reactions, with one social media user sharing, “yesss please show them how it’s done”, and another writing, “maam…Ure the GOAT!!”
One social media user wrote, “we miss days when shows were hosted by OGs like yourself”.
What’s next for Alia Bhatt
Alia will soon be seen in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Love and War. Apart from Alia, the film stars Ranbir Kapoor and Vicky Kaushal. It marks Alia’s second collaboration with Bhansali after 2022’s Gangubai Kathiawadi, for which she won a National Award for Best Actress.
There has been a lot of confusion and speculation about the release date of the Sanjay Leela Bhansali film, Love & War. The film, which stars Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, and Vicky Kaushal, was officially announced in January 2024 and was originally slated for a 2025 release. Love & War will now release in theatres on January 21, 2027, arriving a few days ahead of the Republic Day window.
Alia was last seen in Jigra (2024). She also has spy thriller Alpha in the pipeline. The film is slated for release on July 10. Alpha was originally slated for release in Christmas 2025, but was moved to 17 April 2026. It is believed that the film has been pushed again to avoid a clash with Salman Khan’s Maatrubhumi. The film was set to release in theatres on April 17.