PNS|Hyderabad
For the first time after the formation of Telangana State, the state government is set to host its own official film awards —named in honour of revolutionary balladeer Gaddar — under the banner of the Gaddar Telangana Film Awards (GTFA).
The awards will recognise the best Telugu films certified between 2014 and 2023, with plans for a grand ceremony to mark this cultural milestone. Apart from regular awards, special honours will also be conferred for prestigious titles like the NTR National Film Award, Paidi Jairaj Film Award, BN Reddy Film Award, Nagi Reddy and Chakrapani Film Award, Kantha Rao Film Award and the Raghupathi Venkaiah Film Award.
The GTFA will retrospectively honour one film per year for each of the 10 years from 2014 to 2023, recognising excellence during the formative years of the new state. The government has decided to celebrate the awards ceremony with grandeur, marking it as a tribute to the cultural identity of Telangana after over a decade of cinematic silence.
Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu on Tuesday announced that the Gaddar Telangana Film Awards ceremony will be conducted on an unprecedented scale, with the government offering full support to ensure the event garners global attention.
Participating in the jury committee meeting held at the LV Prasad Film Lab, Bhatti said the government is committed to celebrating the awards in a way that would be remembered for generations.
“The event should be like none in the past and none in the future—nabhuto na bhavishyati—a cultural milestone for Telangana,” he said.
Bhatti recalled that the Telugu film industry had suffered neglect over the last decade, with the state failing to conduct any official award ceremony since 2011.
He credited past Congress governments for encouraging the industry and stated that the present Congress-led regime under Chief Minister Revanth is determined to regain its lost glory.
