Black Lady meets South cinema’s finest in Kochi

For the first time, Kochi hosted the 70th Filmfare Awards South with Kerala Tourism at a grand evening filled with glitz, glamour, entertainment, fireworks and stirring emotional moments.

KANNADA CINEMA: A NIGHT OF FIRSTS AND FINE CONTENT ROOTED IN STORYTELLING
The spotlight shone bright on Kannada cinema as Sriimurali and Akshatha Pandavapura claimed the night’s top acting honours. For Sriimurali, who took home Best Actor (Male) for Bagheera, the win was two decades in the making. “22 years in the industry and this is my first Filmfare,” he shared in a heartfelt moment. “I am very happy to say that she is mine today,” he said. Akshatha Pandavapura, named Best Actor (Female) for Koli Esru, dedicated her win to the power of storytelling. Celebrating a decade in cinema, she noted, “The films I’ve done are few, but they were all content-oriented. Holding this award proves that great characters and visionary directors are what truly make a film win.” The accolades continued with Gowrishankar (Kerebete) and Ankita Amar (Ibbani Tabbida Ileyali) securing the Critics’ Choice for Best Actor Male and Female, respectively. On the production front, Shakhahaari was crowned Best Film, while Blink earned the Best Film (Critics) title. Prithvi Konanur walked away with Best Director for his work on Hadinelentu.Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”