
Naga Chaitanya expressed heartfelt gratitude after winning the Best Actor award at the Telangana Gaddar Film Awards 2025 for his performance in Thandel.
The awards ceremony, held on March 19, celebrated excellence in Telugu cinema for films released in 2025. Sharing his happiness on social media, Chaitanya described Thandel as a “deeply special journey” and said he felt truly honored to receive the recognition.
He thanked the entire cast and crew for their support, stating that the award was a collective achievement. Chaitanya also expressed gratitude to Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka, Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, and the awards committee for honoring him. He also gave a special mention to Ram Charan for presenting the award.
Directed by Chandoo Mondeti, Thandel featured Naga Chaitanya in the role of an Indian fisherman named Raju and was appreciated for its emotional depth and storytelling.
On the work front, Chaitanya will next be seen in Vrushakarma, where he stars alongside Meenakshi Chaudhary and Zarina Wahab in key roles.
























Nandi Awards Revival Brings Cheer to Tollywood
Tollywood has welcomed the revival of the prestigious Nandi Awards, with industry members expressing happiness over the Andhra Pradesh government’s decision to bring them back after a long gap.
State Cinematography and Tourism Minister Kandula Durgesh confirmed that the coalition government is committed to recognizing talent with sincerity. Speaking in Visakhapatnam, he stated that the awards ceremony will be conducted soon and emphasized the importance of encouraging excellence across film, television, and theatre.
The move comes in the backdrop of recent remarks by Chiranjeevi at the Gaddar Film Awards, where he indirectly pointed out that Andhra Pradesh had been lagging in honoring artists. Taking his comments constructively, the government appears to have acted swiftly to revive the awards.
Veteran producer Prasanna Kumar, honorary secretary of the Telugu Film Producers Council, welcomed the decision and called it long overdue. He noted that the Nandi Awards have held immense prestige since the 1960s and remain highly respected within the Telugu film industry.
He further revealed that the government is planning to reintroduce the awards in 2026 to honor excellence across categories including actors, directors, and technicians. Recalling the tenure of N. Chandrababu Naidu between 2014 and 2019, he mentioned that although committees were formed and award lists prepared, the ceremony could not be conducted at the time.
Director Hemanth Madhukar also welcomed the move, stating that state awards play a crucial role in recognizing talent and motivating filmmakers to create unique and meaningful content.
Overall, the revival of the Nandi Awards is being seen as a positive and encouraging step for Tollywood, with hopes that the long-pending recognition for artists will finally be fulfilled.