Jr NTR and Mrunal Thakur express gratitude as they win SIIMA this year

While Jr. NTR won the SIIMA award for Best Actor for his performance in RRR, Mrunal Thakur won Best Actor (Female – Critics) for Sita Ramam.

By Bollywood Hungama News Network -

September 16, 2023 - 7:51 PM IST

SIIMA 2023 kick started with much fanfare in Dubai on September 16, with the entire South film fraternity coming together for an evening of celebration and achievements. Considering the massive strides South Cinema has taken in a Pan India and global level, the awards night honored these precious achievements that helped take the success of South Cinema to a new level. Needless to say, films like RRR, KGF Chapter 2, Kantara, Sita Ramam, Major, to name a few, received several honors making the evening a memorable one.

Jr NTR and Mrunal Thakur express gratitude as they win SIIMA this year

The Best Actor in Telugu Cinema (Male) which was a tough choice between multiple good actors in nominations, eventually went to Jr. NTR who wowed us with his dance and acting in RRR. Expressing his gratitude for the team of the film and his fans, NTR Jr said, " I would love to thank my co -star, my brother, my friend Charan for standing beside me as a pillar of support for RRR. Last but not the least I would love to thank all my fans. I bow down to my fans who have always been with me through my ups and downs. You have been my pillar of support at all times. You people shed a tear along with me whenever I was in pain and smiled in unison with me when I am happy”. Besides this, RRR also bagged several other awards including Best Director (S.S. Rajamouli) and Best Music (MM Keeravani).

Speaking of Best Actress, the award was presented to Sreeleela for Ravi Teja starrer Dhamaka. Coming to Critics Choice, while the Best Actor Male was given to Adivi Sesh for Major, the Best Actress Female went to debutant Mrunal Thakur for her first South film Sita Ramam. Reflecting on her victories, Mrunal Thakur shared her excitement, stating, "I am feeling ecstatic about the wins at SIIMA 2023. The past year has been the most rewarding and humbling. While awards are not the only thing one should work work, I’m grateful that critics chose my performance as Sita Mahalakshmi as the winner of these titles. It gives me the push to do better, perform even better and earn more roles which can relate to the audiences as much as Sita did. Sita Ramam is a special film for me, and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to be a part of it." Besides this category, Sita Ramam also bagged the prestigious award for Best Film.

Other actors who bagged the major awards for the evening included, Rana Daggubati for Bheemla Nayak, Sangeeta for Masooda, among others. Coming to Kannada films, the night was ruled by Kantara, which received several awards from Best Director to Best Actor Male (Critics), Best Actor Female (Critics), Best Music, as well as Best Actor In A Negative Role. On the other hand, KGF Chapter 2 bagged two major awards for Best Actor and Best Actress which was presented to lead actors Yash and Srinidhi Shetty. The Best Film Award in Kannada was given to 777 Charlie, starring Rakshit Shetty in the lead.

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