The prestigious Telangana Gaddar Awards (the erstwhile Nandi Awards) for Telugu cinema for the year 2024 were announced today.
Kalki was declared Best Film, while
Pottel and
Lucky Bhaskar received honours for Best Second Film and Best Third Film, respectively.
Allu Arjun earned the Best Actor award for his compelling performance in
Pushpa 2, and Nivetha Thomas was recognised as Best Leading Actress for 35 - Chinna Katha Kadu. Nag Ashwin was honoured as Best Director for Kalki.
A total of 1,248 films were nominated, and the awards were finalised after elaborate evaluation.
21 individuals were honoured with special jury and individual awards, including for Best Director, Best Actor and several technical distinctions. Some awards were also presented in tribute to renowned figures in Telugu cinema, including N T Rama Rao, Paidi Jayaraj, B N Reddy, Chakrapani, Kantha Rao and Raghupathi Venkaiah.
The awards jury committee, headed by actress Jayasudha Kapoor and chaired by Telangana Film Development Corporation Chairman Dil Raju, presented the details of the award selection to Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and Deputy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka. Jayasudha later revealed the winners during a press conference.
During the event, she said that the award selection process was conducted transparently and free from any external pressures or influences. "The State government allowed complete autonomy in the award finalisation process, and there was no external pressure in deciding the awards. The winners were selected in a completely transparent manner," she said.
She also said that the awards for the years 2014-2023 would be announced soon.
The awards are making a comeback after a 14-year hiatus, and the ceremony is scheduled for June 14 at Hitex in Hyderabad.