Do not keep Nandis pending, says CM

Piracy was the burning topic at the Nandi Award ceremony in the city on Tuesday. The Chief Minister, Mr K. Rosaiah, promised that the government will do everything it can to curb video piracy.

Speaking at the Nandi Award ceremony conducted by the state government at Public Gardens to give away the awards to the winners for the year 2008, the CM assured that if the film industry submits a report on how to effectively implement the anti-piracy laws that already exist, his government will execute them.

Meanwhile, the minister for cinematography, Ms J. Geeta Reddy, said that the government is even ready to bring piracy under the AP Control of Organised Crime Act if the industry demands.

The Nandi Awards were given to actors, technicians, music directors and film personalities, apart from the NTR National Award, Raghupati Venkaiah Award and the B.N. Reddy National Award, for the year 2008 at Lalita Kala Thoranam. Mr Rosaiah asked officials from the AP film development corporation not to keep the awards pending for years and asked them to conduct Nandi awards function on Ugadi festival day every year hereafter.

The award ceremony this time, however, lost its sheen due to the poor organisation of the event by the film development corporation officials. Many actors and their families were seen struggling to even find chairs at the event to sit. The crowd created a ruckus and chaos followed with a few trying to get on to the stage.