71st National Film Awards | Telugu artistes win best lyricist, best child artiste and other honours

After Allu Arjun’s Best Actor win last year, the Telugu film industry proved its mettle yet again, winning several national awards, including the best lyricist, best male playback singer and best child artiste among others at the 71st National Film awards. The awards were announced in New Delhi on Friday.

One of the most emotionally resonant wins came for Balagam, the critically acclaimed film that deeply touched the people of Telangana. The song ‘Ooru Palletooru’, penned by Kasarla Shyam, won the award for Best Lyricist for the song that captured the heart and soul of rural life and evoking nostalgia among those connected to their native roots.

Another standout was the youthful romantic drama Baby, which earned multiple awards. P.V.N.S. Rohit, whose rendition of the soulful track ‘Premisthunna’, which became a hit among the younger generation, won the Best Male Playback Singer award. The film also shared the Best Screenplay award with Tamil film Parking.

Mythological superhero film HanuMan, directed by Prasanth Varma, bagged two honours — Best Action Choreography and Best Feature Film in the AVGC (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, and Comics) category. The film’s technical brilliance and visual storytelling were widely appreciated, and was one of the runaway hits.

Sukriti Veni Bandreddi won the Best Child Artist award for her performance in Gandhi Tatha Chettu. Balakrishna-starrer Bhagavanth Kesari bagged the best film award in the Best Regional Film (Telugu) category. It was directed by Anil Ravipudi.

R&B and Cinematography Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy congratulated the winners and said they made the industry proud. He said the government was committed to film industry promotion and the revival of film awards by the Telangana government after 10 years indicated its commitment.

BRS working president K. T. Rama Rao also congratulated the winners, particularly the Balagam team, and reminded them of how Telangana films gained mainstream recognition due to the creation of a separate Telangana State.