Andhra Pradesh's Minister for Information Technology, Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Nara Lokesh responded to the criticism of the Nandi Award results on Monday, and found fault with the critics.
Speaking to reporters after the adjournment of the Andhra Pradesh Assembly, Lokesh said, “Those who are sitting in Hyderabad are criticising state government. Some leaders, who come by flight in morning hold a protest and go back to their places by evening. They have no stakes in state.”
Stating that the awards were announced for three consecutive years, he said that the criticism was coming from “non-resident Andhras”.
Lokesh’s father, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, said that he was pained by the criticism.
Stating that he never expected that the awards would trigger so much controversy, he said that the government should not have announced the awards for three years in one go.
Earlier this week, several Telugu film personalities spoke out about nepotism and bias in the jury for the Nandi Awards.
Telugu film director Gunasekhar, took to Twitter to publish an open letter addressed to Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, which faulted the jury for not giving his movie, Rudramadevi, due recognition.
“Wrong on my part to seeking for exemption of entertainment tax for 'Rudramadevi'? When another historical movie 'Gautamiputra Satakarni' was exempted, why can't my movie be exempted? Is it a question that has no answer?” he questioned.
Racegurram producer Nallamalupu Bujji also alleged that there was nepotism in the way the awardees were selected. "That’s how much lobbying they did. We didn’t. All the awards I’ve won so far are genuine,” he said.
Film director Ram Gopal Varma also took a dig at the jury, saying that "the jury must be given an Oscar for their extraordinarily meritorious selections.”
Producer Bandla Ganesh too came down heavily on the awards distribution procedure. "It is very clear they have ignored the mega family and have only given awards to their relatives and people who belong to their party. How is it fair to take the Best Actor award being a member of the committee and an MLA?"
Last week, the state government announced the Nandi Film Awards for 2014, 2015 and 2016.
Blockbuster film Baahubali, which released in 2015, bagged 13 Nandi awards in different categories, while Nandamuri Balakrishna’s film Legend got eight awards. Balakrishna is one of the jury members.