Akkineni National Award awarded to Shyam Benegal today

For the last seven years, the Akkineni International Foundation is giving away National Awards in the name of Akkineni Nageswara Rao. A committee would select the recipients of the awards every year. The committee chairman T Subbarami Reddy had announced that the award would be presented to popular director and Dada Saheb Phalke awardee Shyam Benegal this year. The felicitation function would be held on 9 February at N convention in Hyderabad. Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tiwari, Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy would be the chief guests.
Earlier, the award was presented to Padmabhushan, Dada Saheb Phalke awardee Devanand (2005), Padmasri Shabana Ajmi (2006), Padmasri Vyjayantimala (2008), Bharata Ratna Dr Lata Mangeshkar (2009), Padmasri Dr K Balachander (2010), Padmasri Hema Malini (2011).
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Akkineni says, ‘In Shyam Benegal movies, there will be lot of social awareness. He brought many problems in society through his films. I am very happy that the committee had selected such a creative and commercial director for the award this year. Though I bagged many awards, I did never feel that they are my individual awards. They are also belongs to the industry which made me such a big artiste, my films’ directors and producers, especially the technicians.