On her birthday, Sayani receives the South Asian Screen Excellence Award at the International Film Festival of South Asia (IFFSA) in Toronto, joining a distinguished list of previous recipients that includes Shabana Azmi, Boman Irani, Imtiaz Ali, Tillotama Shome and Deepa Mehta, among other iconic screen storytellers. Sayani is attending the festival as Guest of Honour, with her directorial debut Aasmani screening alongside her summit session, Becoming a Star, Remaining an Actor. The birthday and the honour land on the same day.
This is Sayani’s Second Win in Canada in two weeks. At iSAFF, the International South Asian Film Festival, Vancouver Sayani received the Leadership in Film Award 2026, while Aasmani received an Excellence in Short Film Making Honourable Mention. The festival recognised Sayani’s work across both acting and filmmaking, as she served on the jury for Excellence in Feature Filmmaking. Aasmani had its Canada premiere at the festival to a full house.
It is a fitting moment in a month that has seen recognition arrive almost non-stop. The film won Best Short Film at the Atlanta Indian Film Festival last week adding another recognition for the short that Sayani wrote and directed. At Boston, Sayani won Best Director (Short Film) for Aasmani, while the film’s young actor Daria Bedi received the Best Child Actor award.
Alongside her work behind the camera, Sayani has continued to be recognised for her acting. She was named Best Actress (Web Series) at the 14th Indian Cine Film Festival 2026 for her performance as Damini Rizvi Roy in Four More Shots Please! Season 4, a role she has played across all four seasons.
