Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (CLP)
Mangaluru, Nov 23: It was a red letter day for Tulu movie industry as the maiden Tulu Film Awards were presented at a dazzling ceremony organized by Red FM 93.5 at Nehru Maidan here on Saturday November 23.
'Oriyardori Asal', which set a benchmark and marked the resurgence of the Tulu film industry since 2011, won the award for the Best Film. The movie in fact took home as many as six awards in various categories, including the Best Director (H S Rajshekar) and the Best Actor in a Comic Role (Navin D Padil).
Veteran Tulu artiste K N Tailor, known as the 'Bheeshma' of Tulu theatre, was honoured with Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to Tulu cinema over the decades.
Arjun Kapikad won the Best Actor (Male) award for 'Telikeda Bolli' while the Best Actor (Female) award went to Pakhi Hegde for her role in 'Bangarda Kural'.
The spectacular event was graced by pride of Tulunadu, Bollywood actor Sunil Shetty. Lauding the organizers for taking the initiative to recognize and honour Tulu film talents, he said, "This is a big day for the Tulu film industry, a day to appreciate the local talent.
"One of the first movies I had seen was Koti Chennaya, which inspired me. I never thought I would reach Bollywood, but whatever my achievements may be, in my entire life I have never let Tulunadu down, and I feel proud that I kept up the name of Tulunadu wherever I went," Sunil Shetty said.
"I am thrilled at seeing the large crowd that has turned up this evening. Keep up your support to Tulu film industry always," he added.
Sunil Shetty was honoured for his contribution to the film industry.
Earlier in the evening, the event was inaugurated by a host of dignitaries including health minister U T Khadar, mayor Mahabala Maarla, DC A B Ibrahim, Red FM CEO B Surendra, SP Dr Sharanappa, senior filmmaker and National Award winner Sadananda Suvarna, Chilly Willy Foods managing director Satheesh Venkataraman from Dubai, City Gold Group managing director Abdul Kareem, Mookambika Temple managing trustee Krishnaprasad Adyanthaya and COO of RedRocks Group Prashanth Rasquinha.
Addressing the gathering, U T Khadar said, "Today is a great day. This is a step towards taking Tulu film industry to the national and internation levels and making it more popular. I thank the organizers Red FM for initiating this, and wish them all success."
Sadananda Survarna said, "This is a festive sesason for the Tulu industry. Earlier, it was consdered that Tulu films had no market and so people were afraid to invest. With 'Oriyardori Asal' a benchmark for Tulu movies was set, where people started to believe that even Tulu industry can do well. Thereafter, many movies got released and became Tulu cinema emerged again."
Deputy commissioner A B Ibrahim also lauded the organizers and pointed out that 2014 had been a great year for Tulu industry as three major films had released and it also saw the first Tulu Film Awards being hosted.
Award jury members Kasargod Chinna and Vasanth Kadri were felicitated by Amarnath Shetty and Khadar on the occasion.
Apart from the film awards, Satheesh Venkataraman of Chilly Willy gave away seven special awards - to 'Gaggara' Tulu movie, Sadashiva Shetty, 'Bangar Patler', 'Nirel', Sarojini Shetty, Seetharam Kulal and Pradeep - to mark the launch of Chilly Willy products in Mangaluru.
Scintillating dances by various troupes including 'Friction', 'City Guys' and Bhargavi troupe from Udupi added more glamour and charm to the evening. Noted magician Kudroli Ganesh had the audience spellbound with his performance. Mookambika chende troupe was another attraction.
Actress Akshata Maarla also performed. The event also saw the promotion of upcoming film 'Ka' with a special dance. Audio CD of 'Bire Dev Pooje' was also released.
RJ Prasanna welcomed the gathering. The show was beautifully hosted by emcees Nagaraj, Madhu, Anurag and Chitra.
Children of Canara school led the prayer at the start of the ceremony.
Awards List
Lifetime Achievement Award - K N Tailor
Best Film - Oriyordori Asal
Best Actor (Male) - Arjun Kapikad for Thelikada Bolli
Best Actor (Female) - Pakhi Hegde for Bangarda Kural
Best Director - H S Rajshekar for Oriyardori Asal
Best Actor in a Comic Role - Navin D Padil for Oriyardori Asal
Best Male Playback Singer - Udit Narayan for Oriyardori Asal
Best Female Playback Singer - Sangeeta Balachandra for Kadala Mage
Best Music Director - A K Vijay for Oriyardori Asal
Best Choreography - Madan Harini - Telikeda Bolli
Best Actor in a Negative Role - Gopinath Bhat for Telikeda Bolli
Best Supporting Actor - B S Boloor
Best Supporting Actress - Shakuntala Shetty for Kanchilda Bale
Best Child Artiste Award - Baby Chitra for Kanchilda Bale
Best Lyricist - V Manohar for Barke
Best Editor - Srinivas Babu for Oriyardori Asal
Best Cinema Developer Award - P L Ravi for Kanchilda Bale
Best Background Score - Sathish Babu for Oriyardori Asal
Best Art Direction - Tamma Lakshman for Kadala Mage
Best Action - Harish Shetty for Bangarda Kural
Best Dialogue - Devdas Kapikad for Telikeda Bolli
Best Screenplay - Ram Shetty for Bangarda Kural
Best Story - Sudhakar Bannanje