Hyderabad: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Saturday said the Telangana government would extend full institutional backing to the Telugu film industry and expressed pride that Hyderabad had become its epicentre.
Speaking at the Telangana Gaddar Film Awards ceremony held at HITEX, the Chief Minister congratulated all awardees and said the global stature of Telugu cinema was a matter of pride for the state. He listed top actors, including Chiranjeevi, Balakrishna, Nagarjuna, Venkatesh, Pawan Kalyan, Mahesh Babu, and Allu Arjun as contributors to the industry’s growth.
Revanth Reddy said the state might appear strict in approach, but assured industry stakeholders that it made no distinctions and intended to support all sections equally. He asked the film community to directly communicate its needs and promised full cooperation from the government.
He said the awards initiative was first proposed by producer Dil Raju and that awards were being given to all Telugu films released since Telangana’s formation. He thanked everyone involved in organising the programme.
Revanth Reddy said it was time to move past associations like “Hollywood means America” and “Bollywood means Mumbai,” and bring Telugu cinema to the fore as synonymous with Indian cinema. He suggested that director S.S. Rajamouli take charge of that task.
He announced that cinema would feature in the state’s Vision 2047 development document, alongside IT and other sectors. He committed to remain in active politics for the next 20 years and pledged to support the film industry regardless of his position.
Describing Gaddar Reddy as a revolutionary figure, he said the awards named after him reflected the spirit of struggle and transformation that inspired the Telangana movement.
At the event, Revanth personally greeted actor Allu Arjun with a handshake and embrace. The gesture was noted in light of earlier reports of tensions between the two, following a stampede incident at a promotional event for Pushpa-2, which had led to legal proceedings involving the actor.
LIVE: Hon’ble Chief Minister Sri A. Revanth Reddy participates in the Telangana Gaddar Film Awards-2024 ceremony at HITEX, Hyderabad https://t.co/YenZGBnbvm
— Telangana CMO (@TelanganaCMO) June 14, 2025
The government, through the Telangana Film Development Corporation, organised the event on a large scale. Other attendees included actors Vijay Deverakonda, directors Sukumar, S.S. Rajamouli, and Nag Ashwin.
