Amitabh Bachchan conferred Andhra state awards

Superstar Amitabh Bachchan has been chosen for NTR National Film Award for the year-2011.

The award carries a cash component of Rs 5 lakh besides a memento and a citation.

A committee comprising Telugu film personalities Tammareddi Bharadwaja, M Balayya and K C Sekhar Babu chose Amitabh Bachchan for the NT Rama Rao National Film Award for 2011 in recognition of his outstanding contribution to Indian cinema, official sources here said.

The Committee also chose film director Shyam Benegal for the B N Reddy National Award that carries a reward of Rs 2 lakh, a citation and a memento.

Previous recipients of the award include Akkineni Nageswara Rao, a contemporary of late NTR, Bollywood great Dilip Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar, thespian Sivaji Ganesan, music maestro Ilaiyaraja, Kannada actor Raj Kumar, director Hrishikesh Mukherjee and actress Waheeda Rehman among others.

Telugu movie stalwart and former MP Kaikala Satyanarayana has been chosen for prestigious Raghupati Venkaiah Memorial Award that also carries Rs 2 lakh.

Telugu film producer and studio owner G Adiseshagiri Rao has been chosen for the Nagireddy-Chakrapani National Film Award.

The selection committee, along with state Information and Public Relations Minister D K Aruna, met Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy here tonight and submitted the list of awardees.

Andhra Pradesh government gives this award, instituted in 1996 in the name of Telugu film legend and former Chief Minister of the state, every year to an outstanding film personality.

The awards will be presented on Ugadi, the Telugu New Year's Day, here on April 11, the release said.

ALSO READ

Two-day extravaganza to celebrate Indian cinema centenary

Leonardo DiCaprio almost turned down 'The Great Gatsby'

Suri Cruise to launch fashion line

Disney to make first animated Marvel movie