VIJAYAWADA: Taking inspiration from the Tamil film fraternity, which took to the streets demanding the establishment of Cauvery River Management Board, the Telugu film industry has announced to stage a Maha Dharna in New Delhi on April 22 to exert pressure on the Centre for granting Special Category Status to Andhra Pradesh.
“A preliminary meeting was convened between Hindupur MLA and film actor Nandamuri Balakrishna and Movie Artists Association (MAA) president Sivaji Raja regarding the protest to be staged in New Delhi. Film actors will also take out a padayatra in Vijayawada, highlighting the need of SCS for the State’s development,” said Ambica Krishna, Chairman of Andhra Pradesh State Film, Television and Theatre Development Corporation (APSFTVTDC) on Monday. The Andhra Pradesh State Film, Television and Theatre Development Corporation Chairman announced Statelevel Kandukuri Pratishtatmaka Puraskarams-2018 to three persons and district-level Kandukuri Visishta Puraskarams to 65 persons on the occasion of 171st birth anniversary of Kandukuri Veeresalingam Pantulu, father of renaissance movement in Telugu.
The theatre awards were selected by a committee headed by Ambica Krishna, G Ravi Krishna, P Balaji Naik and Patibandla Anand Rao. He said that Sunkara Rajasekhar Prasad of Proddatur in Kadapa, Allam Chandrarao of West Godavari and Alapati Lakshmi of Visakhapatnam have been selected for the Statelevel award. The trio will be presented with a cash prize of `1 lakh each and a certificate of appreciation. The district-level Kandukuri Visishta Puraskarams will be given to five persons in every district. They will be given a cash prize of `10,000 each and certificate of appreciation, the APSFTVTDC chairman said.