Entertainment is India’s lifeblood, and cinema has a lion’s share in keeping the spirits of Indians at an all-time high. India still tops the list of film-producing countries, evolving significantly to break linguistic barriers and appeal to a global audience. CNN-News18, India’s No.1 English General News channel, salutes that spirit of entertainment with the 12th edition of its flagship awards ceremony, CNN-News 18 Indian of the Year (IOTY) 2022. To be held on October 12, the awards ceremony will felicitate the achievements of those Indian those Indians who, through their grit and determination, have brought pride to the country. The marquee property felicitates personalities across the categories of politics, sports, social change, entertainment, start-ups, and climate warrior.

Each nominee in the entertainment category has raised the bar this year. Alia Bhatt’s Gangubai Kathiawadi, for instance, has made over Rs 200 crore at the box office; she followed up with a killer performance in Darlings. All these professional achievements came despite it being an eventful year personally.

Allu Arjun won hearts the world over with his film Pushpa: The Rise, bringing audiences back to theatres in 2021, and amassing over Rs 350 crore worldwide.

Kartik Aaryan, a mass favourite across generations, has brought smiles to countless film lovers with his hit horror comedy Bhool Bhulaiyya 2. From being a rank outsider, Kartik Aaryan has now become one of the most sought-after actors in the industry.

Through the third highest grossing film worldwide and a magnum opus, RRR – Roar Rise Revolt, Team RRR (SS Rajamouli, Junior NTR and Ramcharan) made the world sit up and take note of the Indian film industry.

Finally, we have the sleeper hit, The Kashmir Files by director Vivek Agnihotri. Made on a budget of Rs 25 crore, it grossed over 350 crore, snowballing into a force to reckon with.

CNN-News18 has been setting the precedent of celebrating top entertainers of the country through this flagship initiative. Past winners in the entertainment category include names such as like Amitabh Bachchan, A R Rahman, Irrfan Khan, Rajkummar Rao, Aamir Khan and Rajkumar Hirani.

Now all eyes are on who will be the awarded as the Indian of the Year 2022 in the entertainment category. The winner will be revealed at the star-studded grand finale celebrating luminaries in Indian entertainment at The Indian of the Year 2022 award ceremony on Wednesday, October 12, 2022, 6pm onwards, exclusively on CNN-News18.

CNN-News18 Indian of the Year 2022 has RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group as the Presenting Partner and Reliance Industries as the Co-Presenting Partner.

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