Baahubali 2 bags 3 awards, Ghazi declared the Best Telugu film

Tollywood shone bright at the 65th National Film Awards, which were announced on Friday, with SS Rajamouli’s magnum opus Baahubali: The Conclusion leading from the front. The Prabhas-Rana starrer bagged three awards — Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment; Best Action-Direction and Best Special Effects. A 10-member jury panel, headed by filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, announced the awards.“Baahubali toh aap sab jaante hai (everyone knows Baahubali),” Shekhar Kapoor quipped, while announcing the film as the winner.
Double delight for Rana; ghazi team feels vindicated
Actor Rana Daggubati, whose film Ghazi was adjudged ‘Best Regional Film - Telugu’ had twice as much to cheer about. Even as congratulatory messages poured in, director Sankalp Reddy, who’s currently shooting for his upcoming sci-fi film, said that he was both shocked and delighted with this win. “I was shooting when I heard the news and I just couldn’t believe it. It’s surely humbling; I cannot describe my excitement in words. All the hard work that the entire crew had put into this film has paid off,” Sankalp said.
Even as he attempted to make India’s first ever underwater submarine film, Sankalp knew that he was entering unchartered waters and the national award is a vindication of his conviction, he confessed. “At the time of making the film, there were a lot of sceptics but we went ahead with the it. I never knew that we will win the national award for it one day. Each and every member of this crew deserve this award,” an elated Sankalp added.
Actress Taapsee Pannu, who played a supporting role in the film, said, “Elated with the news about Ghazi winning the Best Telugu film. This is the third time I have had the opportunity to be a part of a National Award Winning film. Even though I had a special appearance in the film, it was personally a very satisfying part for me as an actor.”
An Oscar-like faux pas: Shekhar Kapur announces Abbas Ali Moghul as producer of Baahubali. Wasn’t him, tweets Shobu
Interestingly, while announcing Baahubali 2 as the winner for Best Action-Direction, Shekhar Kapur mentioned that “Abbas Ali Moghul was of course the producer...” Responding to a tweet by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, producer Shobu tweeted, “Abbas Ali Moghul ?? He didn’t work for @BaahubaliMovie 1 or 2.. :) (sic).”