November 14: Telugu films won nine awards at the 72nd National Film Awards for 2024, spread across five films: Kalki 2898 AD, Pushpa: The Rule Part 2, Committee Kurrollu, 35-Chinna Katha Kaadu and Lucky Baskhar. The results were announced by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in July. Kalki 2898 AD was named Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, and Committee Kurrollu was Best Telugu Film.
Key highlights
- Best Telugu Film: Committee Kurrollu, directed by Yadhu Vamsee.
- Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment: Kalki 2898 AD, directed by Nag Ashwin.
- Best Children’s Film: 35-Chinna Katha Kaadu, directed by Nanda Kishore Emani.
- Pushpa 2: Best Screenplay (original) for Sukumar and a shared Best Costume Design award.
- Lucky Baskhar: Best Screenplay (dialogue) for Venky Atluri.
Every Telugu win
| Award | Winner | Film |
|---|---|---|
| Best Telugu Film | Yadhu Vamsee (director) | Committee Kurrollu |
| Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment | Nag Ashwin Singireddy (director) | Kalki 2898 AD |
| Best Children’s Film | Nanda Kishore Emani (director) | 35-Chinna Katha Kaadu |
| Best Child Artist (shared) | Arundev Pothula | 35-Chinna Katha Kaadu |
| Best Screenplay (original) | Bandreddi Sukumar | Pushpa: The Rule Part 2 |
| Best Screenplay (dialogue) | Venky Atluri | Lucky Baskhar |
| Best Costume Design (shared) | Deepali Noor and Sheetal Sharma | Pushpa: The Rule Part 2 |
| Best Make-up | P. Ravi Kumar | Committee Kurrollu |
| Best Production Design | Nitin Zihani Choudhary | Kalki 2898 AD |
A big-budget hit and a small film, side by side
The list rewards both ends of Telugu cinema. Kalki 2898 AD, a science-fiction epic, won the popular film award and the production design prize, while Pushpa 2 took the original screenplay award. At the other end, Committee Kurrollu, a smaller film, won Best Telugu Film and the make-up award, and the children’s film 35-Chinna Katha Kaadu won its category and a shared award for its young actor, Arundev Pothula.
Our calculation
| Film | Awards |
|---|---|
| Kalki 2898 AD | 2 |
| Pushpa: The Rule Part 2 | 2 (one shared) |
| Committee Kurrollu | 2 |
| 35-Chinna Katha Kaadu | 2 (one shared) |
| Lucky Baskhar | 1 |
| Total | 9 |
What it means for India and Asia
Telugu cinema now competes at the national level on two fronts: pan-India blockbusters such as Kalki 2898 AD and Pushpa 2, and smaller films such as Committee Kurrollu. The national awards recognised both. With Telugu films increasingly released across India and overseas, wins like these add critical recognition to box-office reach.
What to watch
- Telugu titles in the Indian Panorama at the International Film Festival of India in Goa, November 20–28.
- Entries for the next National Film Awards, for films certified in 2025.
Director Nag Ashwin, whose Kalki 2898 AD won Best Popular Film, at a 2023 event in San Diego. Image: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Photo source · Licence
Sources
The Entertainment Desk covers cinema from India, Asia and Hollywood: releases, box office, awards and festivals, reported from official announcements. Stories are checked against at least two credible sources before publication.
