Dasari Narayana Rao selected for NTR Award

Hyderabad (PTI): The Andhra Pradesh Government on Wednesday announced the annual N T Rama Rao National Film Award for veteran Telugu film-maker and former Union Minister Dasari Narayana Rao for 2007.

The government also decided to confer the annual Raghupati Venkaiah Award on noted producer Tammareddi Krishna Murthy.

A three-member award selection committee, comprising film personalities Balaiah, Arjuna Raju and Giribabu,submitted their recommendations today, official sources said.

Both the awards are presented for the personal excellence of the individuals and their contribution to the film industry.

The recipient of the NTR Award would be presented with Rs 5 lakh, citation and a special memento. The Raghupati Venkaiah award carried a cash prize of Rs 50,000, a gold medal, golden 'nandi' and a citation.

The awards would be presented to the winners at a function here on February 14, Parthasarathy, Managing Director, Andhra Pradesh State Film Television and Theatre Development Corporation (APSFDC), said.

Rao, who began his career in 1970, made over a hundred films in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi languages. He has also been a producer, director, actor and film distributor.

Rao, a Congress Rajya Sabha member, was Union Minister of State for Coal in the UPA government.

Krishnamurthy started his career in 1950 and made valuable contribution for the Telugu film industry to take roots in Hyderabad after it shifted from Chennai.

The previous winners of NTR award include veteran actors Dileep Kumar, Sivaji Ganesan, Waheeda Rahman and Raj Kumar.

The Raghupati Venkaiah Award was earlier presented to veteran Telugu film personalities like L V Prasad, K Viswanath, Mullapudi Venkata Ramana, Bapu and D Rama Naidu.