Row over Telangana Film Awards named after Gaddar as BJP, Cong trade fireworks

Indian Express

16-06-2025

In the inaugural edition of the Telangana Gaddar Film Awards (TGFA) event held by the A Revanth Reddy-led Congress government in Hyderabad on June 14, Allu Arjun was named the best actor for his role in the movie 'Pushpa: The Rise' and Nivetha Thomas won the best actress award for her performance in '35 Chinna Katha Kaadu'.
However, the event has sparked a row between the Congress and the Opposition BJP. Some BJP leaders are unhappy with the state film awards being named after famed Telugu poet and balladeer late Gaddar, who was also a former Maoist ideologue.
Before Telangana was carved out of Andhra Pradesh in 2014, these awards were given as the Nandi Awards in the undivided state.
This is not the first instance of the BJP expressing its opposition to Gaddar, who passed away in August 2023. In February this year, when the Revanth Reddy government suggested Gaddar's name for a Padma Shri award, Union Minister of State and former Telangana BJP president Bandi Sanjay Kumar said the Centre would never confer this civilian honour on 'Gaddar and his Naxalite comrades, who had caused the deaths of hundreds of BJP, Congress and TDP workers'.
At the time, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy had lashed out at Kumar without naming him. 'If you insult Gaddar one more time, we will name the street on which the BJP office stands (in Hyderabad) after Gaddar. How will you go about without naming Gaddar anna (brother) in your address, we would like to see,' the CM had then said.
Now, on the TGFA event, state BJP spokesperson Krishna Sagar Rao told The Indian Express, 'It (naming the awards after Gaddar) sets a bad precedent. Our question is simple: How is Gaddar, who followed a path of violence against elected governments, related to the film industry and its artistes? Why will actors and technicians be proud to hold on to an award that is named after such a person,' he asked.
The Congress has, however, strongly defended its government's decision to name the film awards after the revolutionary poet. 'Gaddar is a cultural icon. Telangana's history is richer by his name and his contribution. Only the BJP can have a problem with him and our CM has said that Gaddar cannot be dispensed with,' a Congress leader said.
Telangana Congress spokesperson Syed Nizamuddin said, 'The BJP is raising some baseless allegations. The awards reflect the true spirit of inclusion.'
Born as Gummadi Vittal Rao, Gaddar was studying engineering when he was drawn to the Dalit Panthers and the Naxalite movements in the 1980s. He went underground and joined the People's War Group, a Naxal outfit that was later banned in Andhra Pradesh. He also toured Chhattisgarh and Odisha. He, however, distanced himself from the Maoists in the 2000s.
Known as a fiery singer and the 'people's balladeer', Gaddar had returned to prominence during the Telangana statehood agitation beginning in 2009 and penned several songs for this movement. Once only seen in a dhoti, red shawl and a wooden staff, Gaddar had transformed by then, wearing full-sleeve shirts and pants. He also wrote songs for the mainstream film industry, including 'Bandenaka Bandi Katti' in the 1979 film 'Maa Bhoomi'.
Amid the current face-off between the Congress and the BJP, some Telangana activists pointed out that three Gaddar awards – for best feature film on history, best music director, and best make-up artist – were also given to the film 'Razakar: The Silent Genocide of Hyderabad', which was produced by Telangana BJP leader Gudur Narayana Reddy.
'A propaganda film by BJP leaders targeting and spreading hate against Hyderabadi Muslims under the guise of the Razakar movie, has been awarded best film. Shockingly, the Telangana Congress and CM Revanth Reddy are endorsing the director's views,' Hyderabad-based civil rights activist S Q Masood alleged in a post on X.