The Telangana government on Thursday announced the winners of the first-ever Gaddar Telangana Film Awards, honouring excellence in Telugu cinema across 35 categories. Among the standout moments was Dulquer Salmaan’s recognition with a Special Jury Award for his role in Lucky Baskhar, making him the first Malayalam actor to win such an award. Lucky Baskhar marks his third consecutive blockbuster in the Telugu film industry.

The awards, formerly known as the Telangana State Film Awards, have returned after a 14-year hiatus and were renamed in tribute to revolutionary balladeer Gaddar.

The awards jury was headed by veteran actress Jayasudha, who chaired a 15-member panel. The team assessed 1,248 nominations across multiple categories, including feature films, children’s films, documentaries, and technical excellence.

While Dulquer’s win was a standout moment, Kalki 2898 AD took home the Best Film award, with Nag Ashwin named Best Director. Pottel and Lucky Baskhar were awarded as the Second Best and Third Best films respectively.

Venky Atluri also won Best Screenplay Writer for Lucky Baskhar, while Navin Nooli was recognised as Best Editor for the same film. Allu Arjun won Best Actor for his role in Pushpa 2.

Acknowledging cinema that addresses vital social themes, Committee Kurrollu was awarded the National Integration Film. The award for Children’s Film went to 35 Chinna Katha Kadu, while Razakar won the award for Environment/Heritage/History Film.

Lucky Baskhar is written and directed by Venky Atluri, who has crafted a compelling period drama thriller. The film is produced by Sitara Entertainments and Fortune Four Cinema. Sreekara Studios presented the film. Meenakshi Chaudhary plays the female lead, adding to the film’s star power.