Maha govt honours actors,directors

The Maharashtra Government honoured films and film dignitaries at an event held at the Gateway of India in Mumbai recently. Producers Sachin and Bindiya Khanolkar received an award for their highly-acclaimed film. Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan presented the prestigious Raj Kapoor Lifetime Achievement award for 2010-’11 to noted film director and cinematographer Govind Nihalani and the Raj Kapoor special contribution award to actress Shabana Azmi. Marathi producer Smita Talwalkar received the V Shantaram special contribution award. Other awardees for 2010-’11 included veteran Marathi stage artiste Sulabha Deshpande (Prabhakar Panshikar award) and Fayyaz (Balwant Pandurang and Annasaheb Kirloskar Memorial award for her contribution to music).

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar also honoured the awardees at the 48th Marathi film awards presentation function held in the backdrop of the majestic Gateway of India in south Mumbai.

NTR Junior ties the knot

NTR Junior,popular Telugu star and grandson of the legendary NT Rama Rao and son of actor/politician Nandamuri Hari Krishna and Shalini,got married recently to Lakshmi Pranathi,who is a relative of N. Chandrababu Naidu,former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister. Pranathi is the daughter of Narne Srinivas,owner of Studio N Channel and Narne Mallika (who is N. Chandrababu Naidu’s niece).

The wedding ceremony was held in the wee hours of the morning on May 5. Earlier,a grand reception,held at Hi-Tech City,Madhapur in Hyderabad,was attended by people from the Telugu cinema and political field. Chiranjeevi,Akkikeni Nageswara Rao,Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy,Chandrababu Naidu,N. Balakrishna,Nagarjuna,Ramoji Rao,D. Ramanaidu,Mahesh Babu,Ram Charan,Priyamani,Rana Daggubati,Karthi and Prabhu came to bless the newly weds.