Karnataka State Film Awards 2021: Pavan Wadeyar's 'Dollu' bags Best Film; actor Dhananjaya named Best Villain

Bengaluru: The Karnataka government announced a revised list of winners for the 2021 State Film Awards on September 29, following a review of objections raised regarding the earlier selections.

The updated list, issued by the Department of Information and Public Relations, cancels the previous awards and names the new recipients based on the recommendations of a three-member expert committee assigned to examine the complaints.

A total of 25 categories have been recognized in the revised list. "Dollu," produced by Pavan Wadeyar, has been awarded Best Film, while "777 Charlie" received the award for Second Best Film, and "Bheema Sena Nala Maharaja" was declared Third Best Film.

S Krishna won Best Director for "Love Mocktail 2," and Duniya Vijay received the Best Debut Director award for "Salaga." Actor P Ravi Shankar and actress Tara were honored as Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress, respectively.

In the music categories, Charan Raj was awarded Best Music Director for "777 Charlie," Ajaneesh Loknath won Best Background Score for "Kantara," and Vijay Prakash and Ananya Bhat were recognized as Best Male and Female Playback Singers, respectively.

The Lifetime Achievement Award was conferred upon noted cinematographer Ashok Kashyap for his outstanding contribution to Kannada cinema.

Each award carries a cash prize along with a medal: Rs 2 lakh and a gold medal for the Best Film and Lifetime Achievement categories, Rs 1.5 lakh for the Second Best Film, and Rs 1 lakh for all other awards, along with silver medals.

According to officials, the revised awards aim to ensure transparency and fairness in recognizing cinematic excellence for the year 2021.

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'Dollu' emerged as the Best Film, while '777 Charlie' bagged multiple honours including Second Best Film, Best Screenplay, Cinematography, Music Direction, and Supporting Actor, marking it as the biggest winner. 'Bheema Sena Nala Maharaja' followed with the Third Best Film and Best Supporting Actress awards.

'Love Mocktail 2' won two key titles: Best Director for S. Krishna and Best Lyricist for Yogaraj Bhat. 'Kantara' was recognised for Best Background Score and Female Playback Singer. 'Koli Taal' (Chicken Curry) won Best Regional Film and Best Child Actor (Female).

Other winners include 'Balloon' for Best Children’s Film, 'Yarada Mane' for Best Social Concern Film, 'Love You Rachchu' for Best Story, and 'Sapta Sagaradaache Ello' for Best Dialogue Writing. Duniya Vijay took home Best Debut Director for Salaga, and Dhananjaya was named Best Villain for 'Head Bush'.

Veteran cinematographer Ashok Kashyap received the Lifetime Achievement Award, rounding off a grand celebration of Kannada cinema’s creative excellence.