Tulasi institutes Sankarab­haranam awards

Actress Tulasi on Wednesday announced that she has instituted Sankarabharanam Awards as a token of respect and the deepest gratitude to her guru, filmmaker and Dada Saheb Phalke awardee K Viswanath. The awards will be launched on June 20, to coincide with Tulasi's 50th birthday.

"A director is the one who gives life to an actor. When you perform well, the guru is proud of his pupil. He expects nothing in return. So, this annual award for the very film industry that he is associated with is my small way of paying my respects to my guru, who is also my friend, philosopher and guide," said Tulasi.

It's a gesture of her "deepest gratitude for his influence and impact on my life and career," she said. Despite the long list of films in her illustrious career, Tulasi holds very dear her association with the veteran auteur.

Amongst her best remembered roles and ones dear to her heart is the role of a boy in K Viswanath's `Seetha Mahalakshmi’ and `Sankarabharanam’. She doesn't like to call it a "big, formal award ceremony".

"I see it as a family get together, with the film family of his well wishers, friends and colleagues coming together for one evening, to celebrate his presence in our lives. I want all the actors who worked with him, to meet him, enjoy spending an evening in his presence, watching cultural activities together," she said.

The awards show will be conducted by an all-women team. "There are 4,900 women in my women's organisation. They hail from different walks of life and from various professional fields.

Some are dancers and from other cultural fields, some from cinema and media while others are homemakers. All of us will come together to conduct this award ceremony," she added.