MUMBAI: The 61st Idea Filmfare Awards 2013 (south) will be held at the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (Nehru Indoor Stadium), Chennai on 12 July 2014. It is expected to be an evening where the luminaries of Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada cinema come together to celebrate and honour the best in their fields.
The Filmfare Awards have always strived for a perfect balance of public opinion and critical appreciation. This year too Filmfare readers and movie buffs around the world have already voted for their favourites across 10 categories in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam films. The list of nominees will be chosen after carefully tabulating the data from the vote count. Subsequently, a specially-appointed jury will pick the winners from among the nominees, in each regional category.
Speaking on the announcement Worldwide Media chief executive officer Tarun Rai said, “We are proud of our 60 years association with south Indian cinema. And in these years the industry here has grown tremendously. From just a handful of films in the initial years we have over 607 films competing to get the, much sought after, Black Lady this year.”
Commenting on the association with the property Idea Cellular chief corporate affairs officer Rajat Mukarji said, “In the sixth year of our association, we will once again honour and recognise talent from diverse southern film industry. Idea is a champion brand in AP and Kerala and a strong challenger brand in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, with 25 per cent of our subscribers coming from these markets. The Idea Filmfare Awards South gives us an unique opportunity to connect with our millions of consumers with innovative marketing and engagement programs.”
The first Filmfare Awards (south) were held at the prestigious Kalaivanar Arangam in Chennai and the venue was then shifted to the distinctive Music Academy. Initially, only Tamil and Telugu films were considered for the awards, but Malayalam and Kannada films became part of the event in 1966 and 1969 respectively. The film fraternity and all its fans consider Filmfare Awards (south) as the ultimate form of recognition in cinema excellence. The thought of winning a Black Lady is still as alluring as ever.
