K Balachander honoured with ANR Award

Veteran filmmaker Dr. K Balachander was honoured with prestigious ANR National Award yesterday ( January 11). Andhra Pradesh CM Kiran Kumar Reddy, ANR and other dignitaries presented him a Memento and a cash prize of Rs. 5 lakhs.

The function was held at Shilpa Kala Vedika, Hyderabad. Union Law Minister Veerapa Moily inaugurated the event by lighting the lamp. Akkineni family members like Nagarjuna, Amala, Naga Susheela, Naga Chaitanya, Akhil, Sumanth and others were present. But Indian Idol 5 finalist Sreeram Chandra was the prime attraction of the day and he entertained the audience with some old Telugu songs.

The annual ANR Awards committee is headed by T Subbarami Reddy. Boney Kapoor, Nagarjuna, Naga Susheela, Akkineni Nageswara Rao are also part of the committee.

Bollywood actor Dev Anand was the first recipient to receive this prestigious award followed by Shabana Azmi, Anjali Devi, Lata Mangeshkar and Vyjayanthimala. Balachander is often praised for introducing superstars like Rajinikanth and Kamal Hassan. He has directed in Telugu, Tamil, Kananda and Malayalam.