Prajavani honours the Sandalwood Industry

Karnataka’s best-loved local language daily, Prajavani, cast the spotlight on a film industry fast emerging as a national superstar – Karnataka’s own Sandalwood – at a glittering awards ceremony on June 3.

The ‘Prajavani Kannada Cine Sammana’ instituted by the Printers (Mysore) group, publishers of Prajavani, brought together the best and brightest in the film industry in the presence of dignitaries led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

It was an evening punctuated by sparkling wit, captivating performances and headlined by the presentation of 24 awards including five jury special awards and four people’s choice awards, all for films released in the calendar year 2022.

These awards are designed in the Academy Awards format - ‘for the industry by the industry’. The Prajavani Kannada 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 comprised film director Girish Kasaravalli, film critic N Vidyasagar, music composer Hamsalekha, actor-director Prakash Raj, actress-producer Sruthi Hariharan, and directors Yogaraj Bhat and Sumana Kittur. The members associated with Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce and the Kannada Chalanachitra Vanijya Mandali formed a part of the Academy. The entire evaluation process was done under the supervision of global audit firm E&Y.

“Prajavani has always been front and centre when it comes to supporting the Kannada film industry, and these awards are a natural fit for us. We consider it our privilege to honour such luminous talents, and we see this marquee property only growing bigger in years to come,” said Sitaraman Shankar, CEO of the Printers (Mysore) Pvt Ltd, which also publishes 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.”

The event was presented by leading jewellery brand Malabar Gold and Diamonds and powered by Amrith Noni. The sponsors included Canara Bank, Freedom Oil, TTK Prestige, Insight IAS, Sadguru Ayurveda, ColorEssence, B S Channabasappa & Sons. The awards ceremony is set to be telecast on a leading Kannada general entertainment channel and the event’s TV partner, Star Suvarna.

(We got this information in a press release).