Second Act Awards 2026: Celebrating courage, reinvention & new beginnings

Sometimes in life, it’s not just getting up and starting again, but being brave enough to make it a conscious effort to start anew and build something bigger than before. And that’s exactly what the night was all about, as the Second Act Awards 2026, conceived by Archana Dutta, saw leaders, entrepreneurs, artists, creators and changemakers gather at PVR Lido, Santacruz, Mumbai to celebrate Second Act Awards 2026. The evening saw people come together to rejoice and acknowledge those who have defied the odds, stood up and made a mark for themselves by reinventing and breaking barriers.

Former Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture, Meenakashi Lekhi who graced the event as the Chief Guest spoke about the need to create platforms for people, women in particular, to recognise their abilities and make choices that are right for them.

Among the special awardees were Sujata Biswas (Crafting Possibilities Award), Rani Sushant Divgikar (Voice of Change Award) and Rajshri Deshpande (Passion to Purpose Award). Aishwarya Goswami, Gitanjali Babbar, Arjun Vaidya, Nancy Nisa Beso and Juhi Babbar Soni were also celebrated for their work.

Award-winning filmmaker and Flying River Films founder Rima Das was conferred with the Global Fearless Storyteller Award for her contribution to the world of cinema and bringing unique stories across borders. Ramya Ramnath was celebrated as a SecondAct Enabler.

The evening also saw a keynote address by business leader Shiv Shivakuar, an insightful conversation with Raj Nayak and an interactive session with cyber mentalist Poshak Dua along with a musical soiree by Ashish Chhabra.

While speaking on the occasion, Archana Dutta, says that SecondAct aims to empower people to be brave and conscious in their decision to design a new chapter of their life, with a special focus on women. Presented by SAEL and powered by Vijay Sales, the awards were co-sponsored by Hyundai, Sansar, Bents, PedalOn and PVR INOX. And as the evening wound down, it left the audience with a meaningful takeaway - that life often offers us many chapters and with each new beginning, comes a chance to discover another possibility.

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The Hans India