The South Indian International Movie Awards (SIIMA) 2025 brought excitement to Dubai with a grand celebration of Telugu cinema. Allu Arjun and Rashmika Mandanna took home the Best Actors awards, while many rising stars and veterans also earned recognition.
The star-studded night recognized excellence in acting, music, and technical categories, with Pushpa 2: The Rule standing out as the biggest winner.
Best Actors Award for Pushpa 2 Goes to Allu Arjun and Rashmika Mandanna
The film Pushpa 2: The Rule swept the awards, with Allu Arjun winning Best Actor (Male, Telugu). In his iconic role as Pushpa Raj, Allu Arjun delivered a performance that combined grit, confidence, and vulnerability. His portrayal of the sandalwood smuggler navigating power struggles and personal challenges was praised as one of the year’s best.
Rashmika Mandanna won Best Actor (Female, Telugu) for her role as Srivalli in the same film. She brought warmth, strength, and emotional depth to her character. Rashmika’s performance shone in a movie driven by intense drama and grand action. The pair’s chemistry stood out again, reaffirming their status as one of Telugu cinema’s most celebrated on-screen duos.
Kalki 2898 AD, Devara And More Shine
While Pushpa 2 received much attention, other films also won awards. The best film (Telugu) award went to Nag Ashwin’s Kalki 2898 AD. Kamal Haasan earned Best Actors in a Negative Role (Telugu) for his powerful performance as Supreme Yaskin in Kalki 2898 AD. Anna Ben was recognized as Best Supporting Actor (Female, Telugu) for her role in the same movie.
Music received full recognition, with Devi Sri Prasad winning Best Music Director (Telugu) for Pushpa 2. Ramajogayya Sastry won Best Lyric Writer (Telugu) for the soulful track Chuttamalle from Devara. The song also earned Best Playback Singer (Female, Telugu) for Shilpa Rao’s moving vocals. Renowned cinematographer Rathnavelu ISC received the Best Cinematographer (Telugu) award for Devara. Kannada cinema also celebrated its stars, including Ajaneesh Loknath, Samarjit Lankesh, and Ankita Amar, among others.
Read also: Baaghi 4 Tiger Shroff film cross 2.75 Crore at Advance Booking, Sold 60,000 Tickets