They Are Not Nandi Awards, But Cycle Awards: Bandla Ganesh

The firestorm over Nandi Awards announced by the Andhra Pradesh Government continues to rage fiercely. Prominent film personalities have also echoed the popular sentiment expressed by netizens that the awards were marked by a complete lack of transparency. The latest celebrity to wade into the controversy is the famous actor and producer, Bandla Ganesh who described the Nandi Awards as Cycle awards, taking a dig at the TDP-led government.

Ganesh said that injustice had been done to mega star Chiranjeevi's family. He questioned the rationale behind an MLA who is also a jury member accepting the award in the best actor category. The Raghupati Venkayya Award given to mega star Chiranjeevi was merely a consolation prize or a face-saving act by the government, he added. Similar politics came to the fore at the time of Magadheera, Ganesh said.

In stark contrast, though Allu Arvind was a jury member of 2016 committee, he never tried to influence the committee in any way on giving an award to any member of the mega family, Ganesh pointed out.

He was not a critic or political opponent of the TDP, nor was he affiliated with any political party, he further clarified.