Telugu cinema celebrates big National Film Awards haul as ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ leads winners

Telugu cinema had several reasons to celebrate as leading personalities from the industry received honours at the 72nd National Film Awards ceremony in Gujarat.

Nag Ashwin’s science-fiction epic ‘Kalki 2898 AD’, featuring Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan and Kamal Haasan, won the National Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment.

The film’s production designer Nitin Zihani was also honoured with the award for Best Production Design.

Director Nag Ashwin attended the ceremony along with producer Swapna Dutt and veteran producer C Ashwini Dutt to receive the honours for the film.

Vyjayanthi Movies welcomed the recognition, describing it as a significant achievement for everyone involved with the ambitious project. The production house highlighted the scale of the film’s futuristic world and credited the cast and crew for helping turn the concept into a finished cinematic experience.

Director Sukumar was another major Telugu winner at the ceremony. He received the Best Screenplay award for ‘Pushpa: The Rise’.

Producer Niharika Konidela also received recognition after her production ‘Committee Kurrollu’ was named the Best Telugu Film.

Screenwriter-director Venky Atluri won the Best Screenplay award for ‘Lucky Baskhar’, adding another honour for Telugu cinema at this year’s National Film Awards.

With multiple awards spread across production, screenplay and film categories, the ceremony marked a notable occasion for the Telugu film industry and recognised contributions from both established names and newer voices.