Every year, the Central government announces Padma Awards on the eve of Republic Day on January 26.
People who excel in various fields are awarded with three different types of civilian awards – Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan.
Everybody curiously looks for the names of Padma awardees from his or her respective state in various fields.
Earlier, the awards used to be given to the persons from among those who are recommended by the state governments.
There used to be hectic lobbying for these awards both in the state and at the centre.
But after Modi came to power, the Central government has stopped asking for recommendations by the states, but has been following the self-nomination process and selecting those who are really talented but have no recognition from the governments till then.
This time, from the Telugu states, the name of popular director Sukumar is being heard among the probable contenders for the Padma Shri award.
Sukumar has already shot into national limelight with the tremendous success of Pushpa-1: The Rise three years ago.
And the latest sequel Pushpa-2: The Rule has turned out to be a mega hit. The film has surpassed all the earlier Indian records in the collections at the box office for any film. Especially in the north India, it has become a huge success.
While Allu Arjun bagged the best hero award at the national level for his role in Pushpa-1, there is a talk that the Centre is seriously considering the name of Sukumar for Padma Shri award for his creative direction.
Earlier, ace director S S Rajamouli got the Padma Shri award in 2016, after his magnum opus – Baahubali – hit the screens all over the country and took the Telugu film to the national level.
So, there is no surprise if Sukumar gets the award this time.
