Andhra Pradesh’s long-pending Nandi Awards are back on the calendar. The Chandrababu Naidu-led coalition government has approved a plan to present film and television honours covering 2012 to 2025, ending years of uncertainty for Telugu cinema artists and technicians awaiting recognition.
The decision follows repeated calls to restore the awards. Cinematography Minister Kandula Durgesh had said the government intended to restart both the Nandi Awards and Nandi Natakotsavam. He also linked the effort to plans for film infrastructure in Andhra Pradesh, including studios and dubbing and recording facilities. In March 2026, Chiranjeevi publicly urged Naidu to revive the awards, adding a prominent industry voice to the demand.
The latest approval gives the revival a proposed schedule. Previously announced awards for 2012 to 2016 are expected to be presented in Vijayawada in November 2026. For each year from 2017 to 2024, the government plans four honours: two production awards and two Special Jury awards. Awards for 2025 are also part of the plan.
Selection committees are expected to finalise the remaining winners in November. A larger Nandi Film Awards ceremony is planned for Amaravati or Vijayawada, while Tirupati is proposed as the venue for the Nandi TV Awards. The ceremonies are expected by December 2026, subject to the final schedule. The film awards programme is reported to include 46 categories, among them Best Film, Best Actor and Best Actress.
For the industry, the immediate focus now shifts to the jury appointments and winner lists. Those announcements will show how the government handles more than a decade of pending honours and whether the proposed year-end ceremonies bring the Nandi Awards back as a regular fixture for Telugu cinema and television.
