The celebrations for Committee Kurrollu reached an emotional milestone as the entire cast, crew and makers came together to celebrate the historic achievement of winning two prestigious National Film Awards. Hosted by Pink Elephant Pictures in association with Radha Damodar Studios, the event turned into an evening of gratitude, memories and heartfelt reflections as every member of the team looked back on the extraordinary journey that transformed a film made with newcomers into one of the country's most celebrated films. The film won Best Telugu Feature Film at the 72nd National Film Awards, the highest recognition a film can receive in India. Make-up artist P. Ravi Kumar was also honoured in the same edition, giving the film a rare double win.
Producer Phani Adapaka of Radha Damodar Studios noted that whenever success comes, it belongs to everyone who is part of it. Every technician and every artist contributed to this achievement. He stated that Committee Kurrollu is an example of what can be achieved by making an authentic film.
Believing In The Power Of The Story
The foundation of the project relied heavily on the strength of its narrative and the conviction of its creators. Producer Phani Adapaka explained that at Radha Damodar Studios, they came into the project believing that the story is the hero. When the story is strong, the film speaks for itself. He praised Yadhu Vamsee's writing and the beautiful way he crafted the emotions with perfect balance. He mentioned that Vamsee nurtured this story for five years and presented it as a beautiful fruit exclusively for the producers. Manyam Ramesh added that Vamsee strongly believes in the story and the producer. He never compromises until he gets exactly what he wants. He possesses excellent communication and management skills, which makes the team firmly believe he will make more great films. They have already started his next film under their production house. Writer Subhash recalled that he never had any intention of getting into films and had only written a few game stories before meeting Vamsee. Their journey began quickly as they wrote the story and made the film. Every day of that process was exciting. They approached many production houses, but Niharika and Phani were the ones who believed in the conviction. Writer Kondal Rao also shared that five years ago, he did not have the intention of entering the film industry. Vamsee called him and spoke about the film after looking at his single book of poetry. Winning a National Award for his very first film became a huge, proud achievement.
The Journey Of The Cast And Crew
Bringing the film to life required assembling a dedicated team that stayed committed through scheduling challenges. Director Yadhu Vamsee revealed that many people tried to make this film before them, but they were not gutsy enough to make it with almost 20 newcomers in the cast. He managed the budget discussions with Ramesh, who was always supportive and asked him to go ahead. Vamsee searched for his characters and found diamonds, going back and forth with many of them because of their commitments and schedules. When he finally locked the cast and brought them to the office, the production house accepted everyone without any hesitation. The same trust applied to the songs. He noted that the actors did tremendous work and even lost weight for their roles. National Award-winning makeup artist Ramesh shared that one person asked him about his gothram and nakshatram, to which he replied that his gothram is Pink Elephant and his nakshatram is Niharika. He truly believes that anyone who comes to Pink Elephant goes through a film school. He described Niharika as the Karta, Ramesh as the Karma, and Vamsee as the Kriya. Niharika brought together 15 artists and placed them under his responsibility, while Vamsee made it happen through execution. Director Yadhu Vamsee added that makeup is truly a makeover that includes everything from hair to nails. The film featured time jumps, so every character required countless details and transformations.
Cinematographer Raj Edrolu expressed that winning a National Award for his debut film was an honour and a moment of great pride that he never imagined would happen. Four or five years ago, Vamsee came to his house and narrated the film. After that, Raj moved on to work on a web series while Vamsee continued his journey. After a long gap, Raj was surprised to see Vamsee at Pink Elephant Productions, still carrying the same script.
Manifestation And Life-Changing Impact
Niharika Konidela expressed that listening to the team gives her a sense of fulfilment after doing something truly meaningful. She had never experienced that feeling before deciding to make Committee Kurrollu. She took a couple of days to listen to the story, and from that day onwards, it became her film. She decided to put her life into it. Vamsee kept saying from the beginning that this was a National Award-winning film. That was never her dream initially, but she borrowed that dream from him, and eventually it became everyone's dream. It was on her vision board, and she was happy that her manifestation worked. Actress Tejaswini admitted she still could not believe what happened. She was checking every group and social media platform for updates about the National Award. Their group was named Target – National Awards, and they achieved it through large-scale manifestation.
Actress Rishika mentioned she had been congratulating everyone until today, and now everyone was congratulating her. She was manifesting success for the film but never expected this. The wishes were still pouring in, and the perspective of her friends and family completely changed. Music Director Anudeep Dev stated that over the last two years, the happiness kept growing. He still feels the excitement of the release, and the film continues to travel everywhere for awards. Committee Kurrollu became the visiting card through which he is getting new opportunities. Actor Trinadh Varma stated that for everyone who enters the film industry with the hope of making it, Committee Kurrollu is the answer. The film helped shape the careers of 11 boys and 4 girls through Pink Elephant and Niharika. He described the National Award as the reaction to the action of the film. Actor Sandeep Saroj shared that the film gave him an identity and the strength of a big family, adding that he would not mind changing his name to Shiva. Actor Shiva Kumar Matta used a popular slogan to praise the film and credited Niharika for making his presence possible. He recalled a time when he did not have enough food to eat, whereas today he can eat whatever he wants thanks to Vamsee. He expressed lifelong gratitude to both. Actor Prasad Behara praised Vamsee as a wonderful director who knows how to bring out the best in actors regardless of their background. He was happy that all the actors are talented and hardworking, noting that because of the film, he went on to act in around 16 films. Actor Akshay Srinivas listed the numerous awards they won, including SIIMA, GAMA, Gaddar, Filmfare, and the National Awards. He shared that these victories brought him out of a low point in his life.
A Shared Victory For Every Department
The leaders of the project stressed that the historic achievement belongs to the collective effort of the entire crew rather than any single individual. Director Yadhu Vamsee stated that he expected certain awards for the film, but most of the recognition initially came to him and Niharika rather than the actors, which genuinely made him feel sad. He explained that Best Film means the best actors, the best editor, the best music, the best action, and every single department that came together. The award does not belong to one person but to all of them, making everyone standing there a National Award winner. He congratulated Ravi for representing an important craft. Vamsee stated that he is now manifesting for 2030 to see everyone at the next level in their careers. The team will always remain with him like a graduation batch. He thanked Ramesh for being the kind of guide every new talent needs to move forward successfully. He also thanked Phani for being a pillar of support. Niharika Konidela added that the makeover work in the film was not easy. She congratulated Akshay for handling all of that like a taskmaster and expressed happiness for Ravi Kumar receiving the award. She noted that everyone at Pink Elephant knows his place in their family.
Trust And Institutional Support
Deep trust between the producers, director, and the media allowed the film to overcome hurdles and reach its audience effectively. Director Yadhu Vamsee spoke highly of Niharika, stating that she always had his back and trusted him with the edit, the songs, and every creative decision. After completing the first half, he asked her whether they should trim anything because of the long runtime, but she said everything was fine. Before the release, they did not have an OTT deal, and there was negative talk saying they should cut or remove sections. She refused to change anything, trusted her instincts, and carried the responsibility of a nine crore film on her shoulders.
Vamsee expressed that this life was given to him by Niharika. He also thanked his younger brother, Shankar, who fed him and stood by him when he decided to get into films.
Manyam Ramesh thanked the media for taking their projects strongly to the people. He gave special thanks to their PRO Naidu for building and maintaining a strong relationship with the media. He mentioned that the team never behaved formally and often dropped into the office for lunch, which brought joy to the production house.
Pride And Future Visions
The recognition brought immense pride to the creators and solidified their standing within the wider film industry. Producer Niharika Konidela mentioned the importance of promotions, explaining that they went on promotional tours twice, covering even the smallest villages, because people will not watch a film if they do not know about it. At the same time, she noted that a bad film will never become a hit, and Committee Kurrollu succeeded because it has the biggest heart, carrying everyone's blood, sweat, and tears. Meeting the parents of the team members gave her an indescribable feeling that made her decide never to leave the film industry. She shared a personal reflection regarding her family history, noting that her father won three National Awards for Rudra Veena 36 years ago before she was born. When she used to say that Committee Kurrollu should win, she sometimes felt she was speaking beyond her place. With Chiranjeevi and Pawan Kalyan achieving so much, she previously felt she was simply there as a member of the family. Today, because of this film, she feels she has earned her own place and deserves to be a part of the Mega family. Her father informed her that Chiranjeevi and Surekha Konidela were extremely happy, with Chiranjeevi stating that seeing her receive this honour now is a matter of immense pride for the family. Niharika expressed gratitude to the jury members for the recognition and thanked the universe and God for choosing her to bring such wonderful films to life. She concluded that she will either go in search of good cinema, or good cinema should find its way to Pink Elephant.
