Hyderabad: Renowned Telugu actor Chiranjeevi presented the Akkineni Nageswara Rao (ANR) National Award to veteran actors Sridevi and Rekha at an event held at Annapurna Seven acres on Sunday. Instituted by the Akkineni International Foundation, the award will be presented annually to the celebrities to honour their decades of contribution to Indian cinema.

It was a trip down the memory lane for all present — filmmaker Boney Kapoor, who received the award of behalf of his late wife; Chiranjeevi, who was the chief guest at the function and Nagarjuna in whose father’s name the award has been instituted.

In her acceptance speech, Rekha recalled her association with ANR and said she considered this honour from the Telugu film industry as a homecoming. “Annapurna Studios is like my home production and it feels glad to have received this honour alongside Sridevi, who is my little sister and an actor par excellence. I did a Telugu film titled Amma Kosam for my mother and now, I’m here to thank my another mother, Annapurna Studios.”

Bollywood producer Boney Kapoor broke into tears after accepting Akkineni Nageswara Rao (ANR) National Award on behalf of his late wife and English Vinglish actor Sridevi.

“I’m sure she (Sridevi) would have felt humbled to receive this award and I accept this on her behalf with humility,” he said at an event held at Annapurna Seven Acres here on Sunday.

ANR Awards Committee chairman and industrialist T. Subbarami Reddy, actor Akkineni Nagarjuna, his wife Amala, and several prominent members of the film industry graced the occasion.