The 13th edition of the South Indian International Movie Awards (SIIMA) was held in Dubai on September 5th and 6th, 2025, celebrating the artistic and technical achievements of the South Indian film industry. The awards recognized excellence across Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada cinema, providing a platform to promote South Indian films in international markets.
Telugu Cinema Highlights
Telugu cinema shone brightly at SIIMA 2025, with several notable wins. Allu Arjun won Best Actor. Rashmika Mandanna took home the Best Actress award. The epic mythological science-fiction film Kalki 2898 AD, directed by Nag Ashwin, bagged the Best Film award. Amitabh Bachchan was honored with the Best Supporting Actor (Telugu) for his role in Kalki 2898 AD.
Allu Arjun's Continued Success
Allu Arjun's win for Best Actor is another achievement in his successful career. He has previously won the SIIMA Critics Award for Best Actor – Telugu. Allu Arjun is also the only actor to win the award consecutively for Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo (2020) and Pushpa: The Rise (2021).
Kalki 2898 AD's Accolades
Kalki 2898 AD, which won Best Film, had a production budget of ₹600 crore, making it the most expensive Indian film ever made. Upon release, the film grossed an estimated ₹1,042–1,100 crore globally. Kalki 2898 AD was nominated in 10 categories at the SIIMA Awards.
SIIMA 2025 Event Details
The SIIMA Awards 2025 took place at the Dubai Exhibition Centre, Expo City. The Telugu and Kannada Awards Night was on September 5th, while the Tamil and Malayalam industries were spotlighted on September 6th. The event was launched by Vishnu Vardhan Induri & Brinda Prasad Adusimilli.
SIIMA recognizes talent across various categories, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Music Director, and more. SIIMA also presents special awards like the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Other Recognitions
SIIMA also took the opportunity to felicitate the National Award winners from the Telugu film industry. National Award recipients from films like Bhagavanth Kesari, Baby, and Hanu-Man were honored.
