Daijiworld Media Network – Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Jan 9: The Karnataka government on Thursday announced the Lifetime Achievement Awards in the field of cinema for the years 2020 and 2021, recognising the outstanding contribution of senior artistes, filmmakers, and technicians to Kannada cinema.

For the year 2020, actor Jayamala has been selected for the prestigious Dr Rajkumar Award, while veteran director M S Sathyu has been chosen for the Puttanna Kanagal Award. Renowned still photographer ‘Pragati’ Ashwath Narayan has been named the recipient of the Dr Vishnuvardhan Award.

Announcing the honours, the government said the awards acknowledge “lifetime dedication and exemplary service to the growth of Kannada cinema”.

For the year 2021, the Dr Rajkumar Award has been conferred on producer Sa Ra Govindu, the Puttanna Kanagal Award on noted director K Shivarudraiah and the Dr Vishnuvardhan Award on actor-producer M K Sundar Raj.

Each of these prestigious honours carries a cash prize of Rs 5 lac along with a 50-gram gold medal, the government announcement stated.

The Lifetime Achievement Awards are considered among the highest recognitions in the Kannada film industry, celebrating artistic excellence and decades of contribution across acting, direction, production, and technical fields.