Shabana Azmi honoured at e4m Play Streaming Media Awards, shares message for OTT platforms

Shabana Azmi was honoured for her outstanding work in Dabba Cartel

by e4m Desk
Published: Jun 11, 2026 10:25 PM | 2 min read

Bollywood actress Shabana Azmi was honored at the e4m Play Streaming Media Awards on June 11 for her work in the Netflix series "Dabba Cartel."
Azmi expressed gratitude to her colleagues and the streaming industry for providing opportunities to emerging talent and emphasized the importance of supporting new voices.
She urged OTT platforms to focus on nurturing fresh talent rather than relying solely on established stars and large production houses.
The awards ceremony in Mumbai recognized achievements in the streaming and digital entertainment industry, celebrating innovation, creativity, and storytelling.

At the seventh edition of the e4m Play Streaming Media Awards was held on June 11, Bollywood actress Shabana Azmi was honoured for her outstanding work in Dabba Cartel. The series premiered on Netflix. Expressing delight on receiving the honour, Azmi thanked her colleagues and the streaming industry for creating opportunities for emerging talent and helping new voices reach audiences. She also shared a message for streaming platforms.

In her message, she urged OTT platforms to continue backing fresh talent instead of relying only on established stars and large production houses. Azmi said streaming services have the power to create a new generation of stars and expand the industry's talent pool. Pointing to the winners at the awards ceremony as evidence of this positive change, she expressed hope that platforms would stay committed to discovering and nurturing new talent.

“Thank you very much for this honour. I'm delighted to be here. I have a small word to say to streaming platforms. All thanks to you that a lot of young and fresh talent has been given a chance to showcase their talent. My only word of caution would be that this is a huge opportunity to build your own stars and to increase the tribe of the very limited stars that we have. Please don't run after stars, and please don't run after big production houses. Your mandate was to create newer people and give them an opportunity".

“You can see from the awards that have been given tonight that that's what you're doing. I'm thankful for it, and I hope through this platform everybody in the streaming platform will hear my message. Thank you for my wonderful colleagues. It's wonderful, because sisterhood is great. Thank you”, she added.

The seventh edition of the e4m Play Streaming Media Awards was held at a grand ceremony in Mumbai to celebrate excellence across the streaming and digital entertainment industry. The prestigious awards recognised outstanding achievements by content creators, brands, platforms, and industry professionals who have made an impact through their innovative work, creativity and compelling storytelling.