Telangana CM Revanth: Telugu film industry's silence on Gaddar Awards is disappointing

Despite this call to action, the film industry has remained silent, which has prompted concern and frustration from the Chief Minister. "We announced the Gaddar Awards as a way to honor the contributions and achievements within the Telugu film industry, but it is disheartening to see no engagement or response from the industry leaders," Revanth Reddy remarked. Revanth Reddy was speaking at an event in Ravindra Bharathi on Monday which was organised to present "Vishwambhara Dr C. Narayana Reddy National Literary Award' to noted Tamil author and activist Sivasankari.

It may be recalled that Revanth Reddy, on January 31 this year, while participating in the official Gaddar Jayanti celebrations organised by the state government for the first time at Ravindra Bharathi, declared that the Telangana government will institute the Gaddar Awards in place of the Nandi Awards earlier presented in United Andhra Pradesh to acknowledge excellence in Telugu cinema, theatre, and television fields. Revanth Reddy revealed that the awards will be named after Gaddar, paying homage to the revered revolutionary singer of Telangana who passed away in August 2023. "I had hoped for a collaborative effort, where the filmmakers, actors, and other stakeholders would come together to make the Gaddar Awards a true celebration of our cinematic heritage. But there has been no response from the Telugu film industry so far. I don't know the reasons why they are silent. Their input is crucial for the success of this initiative, and their silence is disappointing." The Chief Minister reiterated his commitment to the Gaddar awards and urged the Telugu film industry to come forward with their proposals.