Private film awards have long lost their sheen. It is an open secret that they are given only to those films and actors who agree to attend the events.
What makes these awards an even bigger joke is that they are populist. What is popular gets precedence over what is not. The core principle of awards is to recognize the best, whether it enjoys popular support or not.
In the latest development, two films have received a disproportionate share of nominations. 'Hi Nanna' has been nominated for SIIMA awards in ten categories. It has received nine FilmFare nominations as well. Nani's other popular film, 'Dasara', has got eleven nominations at SIIMA and eight at FilmFare.
By any reckoning, 'Hi Nanna' and 'Dasara' were good but not great. You could say that they were among the best Telugu films released that year; so, why not a dozen or two dozen nominations? This is where you mainstream mediocrity. If no film matches a certain standard in a certain category, the category itself has to be skipped that year. That's how you maintain the integrity of an award.
