GAMA Awards 2025 celebrated in Dubai

The 5th GAMA Awards 2025 lit up Dubai with Pushpa 2 sweeping top honours, Allu Arjun crowned Best Actor, Meenakshi Chaudhary Best Actress, and Brahmanandam, Ashwini Dutt receiving special lifetime tributes.

Hyderabad: The Telugu film industry came together in style for the 5th edition of the Gulf Academy Movie Awards (GAMA), celebrated on August 30 at the Sharjah Expo Centre, Dubai. Presented by Vaibhav Jewellers and powered by KEinfra Properties, the ceremony turned into a memorable evening with several stars, directors, producers, and technicians joining the gala.

Since its inception, GAMA has been known for recognising talent across the Telugu film industry, and this year was no different. Under the leadership of GAMA Chairman Kesari Trimurtulu and CEO Saurabh Kesari, the awards were conducted with grandeur and glamour. The jury was chaired by veteran director A Kodandarami Reddy, music composer Koti, and filmmaker B Gopal, who picked the winners across multiple categories.

The blockbuster Pushpa 2: The Rule was the clear winner of the night, bagging Best Film, Best Director (Sukumar), and Best Actor for Icon Star Allu Arjun. The film’s composer Devi Sri Prasad also won Best Music Director, making it a near clean sweep for the team.

Meenakshi Chaudhary was honoured with Best Actress for her performance in Lucky Bhaskar, which also earned Navin Nooli the award for Best Editor. Kalki 2898 AD producers Ashwini Dutt, Priyanka Dutt, and Swapna Dutt walked away with the Best Producer award. Devara made its mark with Rathnavelu winning Best Cinematography and Ramajogayya Sastry taking Best Lyricist for the soulful Chuttamalle.

In the playback category, Anurag Kulkarni won Best Male Singer for Suttam la Soosi (Gangs of Godavari), while Mangli bagged Best Female Singer for Kalyani Vacha Vachha (Family Star). Sameera Bharadwaj was recognised with the Critics’ Choice Best Female Singer award for Nallanchu Tellachira (Mr Bachchan). The Gaddar Memorial Music Award went to Matla Tirupati.

Acting honours spread across genres. Teja Sajja won Best Actor (Critics’ Choice), while Kiran Abbavaram picked up Best Actor (Jury) for Kaa. Raja Ravindra was awarded Best Performance (Jury) for Saranga Dariya. In supporting categories, Vinay Rai was named Best Supporting Actor for Hanuman, Harsha Chemudu earned Best Supporting Performance for Sundaram Master, and Balireddy Pruthviraj was recognised for Best Supporting Comedy Role.

Emerging talent took centre stage with Roshan and Sridevi winning Best Promising Young Actor and Actress for Court. Manasa Varanasi was also named Best Promising Young Actress. Nayan Sarika won Best Debut Actress for AAY, KA, while Dharma Kakani received Best Debut Actor (Jury) for Drinker Sai. Committee Kurrollu stood out with Yadhu Vamshi winning Best Debut Director and Niharika Konidela named Best Debut Producer. Apsar was recognised as Best Aspiring Director for Shivam Bhaje.

Special recognitions included Razakar winning Best Film Critics and Satyadev receiving a Special Recognition Award for his role in Zebra. Legendary comedian Brahmanandam was honoured with the Global Comedian Award, greeted by a standing ovation, while senior producer Ashwini Dutt was presented the Lifetime Achievement Award for his decades-long service to cinema. In a fan-driven honour, Urvashi Rautela was voted Fans’ Favourite Star.

The celebrations were made even livelier with dance performances by Faria Abdullah, Urvashi Rautela, and Manasa Varanasi, who lit up the stage with their acts. Hosts Suma and Harsha kept the audience entertained throughout, making the evening a delightful mix of glamour and fun.

Speaking at the event, CEO Saurabh Kesari said, “It is a great pleasure to host this prestigious celebration in Dubai, in front of thousands of cinema lovers. We are thankful to everyone who has supported GAMA from the very beginning.”

With star-studded performances, memorable honours, and emotional tributes, the GAMA Awards 2025 once again proved why it holds a special place in the hearts of Telugu film lovers across the globe.