MAA-AP Alleges Neglect of Film Industry, Seeks Revival of Nandi Awards

Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh government came in for criticism for its alleged “failure to allocate specific funds” for the development of the film industry in the 2026-27 Budget.

“This reflects its neglect of the sector,” filmmaker and Movie Artists Association (MAA-AP) founder D. Dilip Raja alleged on Friday.

Addressing the media, Dilip Raja said the budget presented by Finance Minister Payyavula Keshav on February 14 allocated Rs 35,673 crore to the education, sports, arts and culture sectors but did not earmark funds for promotion of the film industry or for the long-pending Nandi Awards.

Questioning the delay in presenting the state film awards, which remained suspended since 2014, he asked whether the funds earmarked for the awards had been diverted or whether the government was unable to organise the event.

Dilip Raja said it was unfortunate that a government led by the political party founded by the late NT Rama Rao had not accorded due importance to the film industry. He recalled that cinematography minister Kandula Durgesh had announced that the Nandi Awards would be revived, but no concrete action had followed.

Referring to remarks reportedly made by actor Chiranjeevi during the presentation of the Gaddar Awards in Telangana, Dilip Raja said the actor had observed that AP was lagging behind in presenting the Nandi Awards. He said the government's silence over those remarks was surprising.