Big day: Prajavani cine awards event today

To mark its 75th year, DH’s sister publication is launching the biggest and most credible awards for excellence in Kannada cinema

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As Prajavani, Karnataka’s most trusted daily, celebrates 75 years, it is launching a series of awards to recognise the best in the industry.

On Saturday, all eyes are on the awards presentation ceremony in Bengaluru. The winners will be announced at a glittering by invitation-only ceremony.

The inaugural Prajavani Kannada Cine Sammana picks the best from Kannada films censored and released between January 1 and December 31, 2022. The year has been a high watermark for Kannada films, with some of its offerings setting screens on fire across India. Malabar Gold is the presenting sponsor of the event.

The films received were shortlisted by an expert committee and then went to a grand jury.

The expert panel comprises music director V Manohar, director Jayathirtha, lyricist Kaviraj, actors Sparsha Rekha and Sampath Kumar, singer M D Pallavi, editor M N Swamy, director Rupa Rao, cinematographer H M Ramachandra and grading technician Sunil Kamath.

The panel also included well-known writers and film critics such as Preethi Nagaraj, Gangadhar Mudaliar, Sandhya Rani, Prathiba Nandakumar, Vishwanath, Premkumar Hariyabbe, Shruthi Bhaskar Rao, M K Raghavendra and
Harish Mallya.

The grand jury comprises renowned director Girish Kasaravalli, music composer Hamsalekha, actors Prakash Raj and Sruthi Hariharan, directors Yogaraj Bhat and Sumana Kittur, and the former artistic director of Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFes) Vidyashankar.

About a thousand people from the film industry voted to select the winners. No Prajavani employee was involved in the selections. Industry insiders are hailing the Malabar Gold Prajavani Kannada Cine Sammana as the most transparent and credible honours around.

The awards are presented in 24 categories including Best Actor (male and female), Best Film, and Best Supporting Actor (male and female). Some people’s choice awards. For which the voting has been closed.

Since its inception, Prajavani has been covering cinema not just as entertainment but also as art. There are countless examples of how the newspaper has shaped and inspired Kannada cinema, and analysed it from a critical and cultural perspective. In its 75-year journey, Prajavani has also written extensively about Indian cinema and world cinema, and covered big film festivals and events.