Hyderabad: The Gaddar Film Awards, held at Hitex in Madhapur on Saturday, June 15, featured notable performances and award presentations, attended by chief minister A Revanth Reddy and deputy chief minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka.
Telugu anchors Suma and Sreemukhi co-hosted the event.
Telangana folk singer Mangli delivered a high-energy performance during the event and expressed gratitude to CM Revanth Reddy. She requested the audience’s permission to perform the revolutionary song “Bandi Enuka Bandi Gatti” from the film Maa Bhoomi, as a tribute to late balladeer Gaddar.
Mangli’s appearance came days after police conducted a raid at her birthday party at a resort, where marijuana and untaxed liquor were allegedly recovered. Some arrests were made in connection with the incident.
Actor Allu Arjun received the Best Actor award for his role in Pushpa 2. He greeted CM Revanth and concluded his acceptance speech by dedicating the award to his fans and enacting a dialogue from the movie,”Na koduku ni choosthe nee thala teestha (if you touch my son, heads will roll),” adding, “Thaggede Le! (I won’t back down).”
Interestingly, the camera panned towards his father, producer Allu Aravind, who was seen smiling in the audience.
It may be noted that in December last year, a tragic stampede occurred outside Sandhya Theatre during the film’s premiere, attended by Allu Arjun, who arrived in an open-top car and waved to an enormous crowd.
The incident resulted in the death of 35-year-old Revathi and seriously injured her minor son, Sri Teja. The actor received the wrath of the Revanth Reddy government and the Hyderabad police, who registered a case against him. He was finally granted bail after a public apology.
Sri Teja was recently discharged from the hospital. The actor and the film production bore all medical charges.
Music director Bheems Ceciroleo received the Best Music Director award for the movie Razakar. He accepted the award with his mother on stage.
Ceciroleo’s performance at the Gaddar Awards drew significant attention. After a group act, he sang Pothugadda, a song from the film Razakar, wearing a black gongadi shawl, symbolically associated with revolutionary poet Gaddar. The song touched on themes of awakening and sacrifice, and Bheems appeared visibly emotional during the performance.
CM Revanth was seen acknowledging the performance with a nod. The segment was considered one of the key moments of the evening.
Actor and politician Nandamuri Balakrishna received the NTR National Award, which was being presented after a 13-year hiatus.
However, on stage, he initially struggled to recall deputy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka’s name and called him “Allu” before pausing for a moment and then pronouncing the deputy CM’s proper name.
Meanwhile, deputy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka remained unfazed by the awkward situation.
In a bid to ease tensions following Balakrishna’s blunder, anchor Suma requested Bhatti Vikramarka and the actor to jointly present awards on stage.
Later, CM Revanth said his government would continue to enforce laws strictly while also supporting the growth of the film industry in Hyderabad.
He invited popular filmmaker SS Rajamouli to set up world-class film infrastructure in Hyderabad, assuring all necessary permissions and support from the government.
He also said that Telangana aspires to compete with global cities like London and New York.
Despite moments of political discomfort, the awards ceremony marked a significant cultural event, featuring several notable performances by artists from across the Telugu film industry.
| Edited by Veena Nair | 
