Prajavani celebrates Sandalwood’s exemplary work with the 2nd Prajavani Kannada Cine Sammana awards

Launched in 2023 by Karnataka’s most trusted daily Prajavani, the award ceremony aims to recognise the best in the industry. 

The 2nd Prajavani Kannada Cine Sammana saw Prajavani honour some of the best work in the Kannada Cinema industry. These awards saw a sea of the biggest names in the Sandalwood industry like Shiva Rajkumar, Daali Dhananjay, Prakash Raj, Rukmini Vasant just to name a few. Star politicians like Dy. CM of Karnataka Mr. DK Shivkumar also graced the occasion. South Indian superstar Khushboo was the special guest for the evening. Iconic multilingual actor B Saroja Devi was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award. 

Launched in 2023 by Karnataka’s most trusted daily Prajavani, the award ceremony aims to recognise the best in the industry.  These awards are designed in the Academy Awards format – ‘for the industry by the industry’. The Prajavani Cine Sammana can claim to be the most credible cine awards in the state because they are selected by three levels of jury – Technical Jury, Grand Jury and, finally, an Academy of voters from the industry.

The grand jury comprises director T S Nagabharana, actor Sudha Rani, film critic N Vidyashankar, director Sumana Kittur, music director V Manohar, actor and producer Shruthi Hariharan, and director Dinesh Babu. The members associated with Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce and the Kannada Chalanachitra Vanijya Mandali formed a part of the Academy. The awards were presented in 26 categories including some people’s choice awards. Each category had five nominations. The entire process was under the supervision of the global audit firm Ernst & Young.

"Prajavani has consistently championed the Kannada film industry, and these awards continue to be a perfect extension of our support. It is an honour to recognise and celebrate such outstanding talent, and we are excited to see this prestigious event grow significantly in only its second year," said Sitaraman Shankar, CEO of The Printers (Mysore) Pvt Ltd, which also publishes the English daily Deccan Herald and Kannada magazines Sudha and Mayura.

Ravindra Bhat, Executive Editor, Prajavani, added: “It is really a matter of pride for Prajavani to create Kannada Cine Sammana for the people of Karnataka and celebrate our rich cinematic heritage. The need for an exclusive and impartial award for the Kannada film industry is now fulfilled.”

Variety of performances

The glitzy award presentation ceremony also saw a wide variety of performances. Prominent actors, including Ashika Ranganath, Shruthi Hariharan, Bhavana Rao, Roopika and Sindhu Lokanath, entertained the gathering with dance performances. Music director Gurukiran and the team enthralled the audience with a musical performance. 

The camaraderie between stars like Ramesh Arvind and Shruti put a smile on the faces of the guests. Hat-trick hero Shiva Rajkumar appreciated Prajavani’s efforts in recognising talent in the Kannada movie industry. “An award, such as this one, encourages not just newcomers, but also experienced actors,” he said. 

Telecast

The high-octane power-packed awards night attended by who’s who will be televised on Kannada’s leading GEC Zee Kannada on 14th July, 2024 at 4pm and the repeat telecast will be on 21st July 2024, at 10am.

‘Prajavani Kannada Cine Sammana’ 2024 was sponsored by Casagrand, powered by Amrith Noni Reachroot Premium Hair Oil, Supported by Department of Information and Public Relations, Government of Karnataka. Banking Partner – Canara Bank, Mobility Partner – Mahindra, Airline Partner – Star Air, Energy Partner – Kantara Pan Masala, Taste Partner – Everest, Fashion Partner – Avantra, Tourism Partner – U.P. Tourism, Short Video Partner – Josh, Associate Sponsors – Freedom Healthy Cooking Oil, TTK Prestige, Honda Shine, Insights IAS, Hero Vida, Sadhguru Ayurveda, Shri Tyagaraj Co-Operative Bank Ltd. Audit Partner – Ernst and Young, Television Partner – Zee Kannada.