Times News NetworkChennai: Tamil Nadu deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on Friday presented the state govt’s film, television and student awards of the MGR Film and Television Institute at a ceremony held at Kalaivanar Arangam in Chennai. The awards covered Tamil Nadu State Film Awards for seven years from 2016 to 2022, television awards for nine years from 2014 to 2022, and student awards for six academic years from 2015–16 to 2021–22. Music composer AR Rahman, actors Dhanush, Suriya and Sai Pallavi were among those who received honours. Responding to criticism over alleged bias in the selection of awardees, Udhayanidhi said a selection committee headed by retired judge KBK Vasuki was constituted for this purpose, and the awards were finalised strictly based on its recommendations. “These awards are fully merit-based,” he said. He said it was not possible to honour everyone at the same time, and that it does not mean those who were left out of the awards list this year were not contributing to Tamil Nadu’s cultural landscape. Their recognition would come at the appropriate time, he said. Though he largely stayed away from cultural events in recent years, Udhayanidhi said he could not skip this programme as he was part of the industry. Attending the event was similar to returning to a classroom after a long gap, he said. He said Tamil cinema has emerged as a trendsetter at the national level in terms of content and technical standards. The purpose of the awards, he added, was to recognise the good work and encourage continued contributions to the field. Udhayanidhi said ₹4.15 crore was allocated over the last four years to conduct international film festivals.
