Niharika Konidela calls out Filmfare Awards South over limited stage time for debut winners

ANI
23 Feb 2026, 07:29 GMT+10

Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], February 23 (ANI): Actor Niharika Konidela expressed her dissapointment with the Filmfare Awards South for the lack of time given to the debut winners to speak on stage.

Taking to her Instagram handle, Niharika highlighted a perceived 'missed opportunity' at the event, especially for the debut winners from the Telugu, Tamil, and Kannada film industries who were not given the chance to deliver an acceptance speech on stage.

'Celebrating the brilliance of Indian cinema at the Filmfare Awards is always a highlight, and seeing such incredible talent under one roof was truly special. However, I couldn't help but feel a sense of missed opportunity that the debut winners from Telugu, Tamil, and Kannada cinema weren't given a moment to speak.'

The 'Oka Manasu' actress stressed the importance of such platforms for the debutants, as the stage serves as a strong boost for them towards their 'dreams'.

'For an artist at the very beginning of their journey, that stage isn't just a platform, it's their dream materialising. Hearing their voices would have reminded us all why we fell in love with cinema in the first place.'

She continued, 'Time constraints are inevitable in a show of this scale, but that one minute shouldn't be taken away from someone standing on that stage for the first time. Because for them, that one minute may last a lifetime.'

https://www.instagram.com/p/DVDYNcHk_D7/?hl=en

Niharika Konidela attended the Filmfare Awards South 2026 in Kochi recently. The actor was last seen in the Tamil film Madraskaaran starring opposite Shane Nigam in the prominent role. (ANI)

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