Gaddar Awards Panel Accelerates Selection Process

Hyderabad:A high-level committee, chaired by the deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, met at the Secretariat on Monday to finalise guidelines for selecting winners for the ‘Gaddar Awards’, instituted by the state government.

Gaddar awards committee chairman B. Narsing Rao, vice-chairman Dil Raju, and advisory board members, including Tammareddy Bharadwaja, Gummadi Vennela, Tanikella Bharani, D. Suresh Babu, Vandemataram Srinivas, Allani Sridhar, Sana Yadi Reddy, Harish Shankar, special commissioner of I&PR and state film development corporation MD M. Hanumantha Rao and its executive director Kishore Babu were present in the meeting.

The Gaddar awards were announced by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy to perpetuate the memory of celebrated balladeer Gaddar, who passed away in August 2022. The awards, which will replace Nandi awards, recognises excellence in Telugu cinema, theatre and television.

The Chief Minister made the announcement during the official Gaddar Jayanti celebrations on January 31, declaring that the awards would be presented annually on this date.

However, despite the CM’s call for feedback from the Telugu film industry on the implementation of these awards, there was little progress. Revanth Reddy expressed his dissatisfaction at a Ravindra Bharathi event on July 31, where he urged industry leaders to take a more active role in the process.

Monday’s meeting marks a significant step towards finalising the framework for the awards. Both government officials and industry representatives have accelerated efforts to establish clear guidelines for the selection process.