SIIMA 2025 Winners: Allu Arjun Shines for Pushpa 2, Big Wins for Kalki 2898 AD

The South Indian International Movie Awards (SIIMA) 2025 kicked off in Dubai on Friday with Telugu and Kannada cinema taking center stage. Big winners of the night included Pushpa 2: The Rule and Kalki 2898 AD, which swept multiple categories.

Allu Arjun and Rashmika Mandanna bagged Best Actor and Best Actress, respectively, for their performances in Pushpa 2: The Rule, while Sukumar took home Best Director for the same film. Nag Ashwin’s futuristic epic Kalki 2898 AD was named Best Film, with Kamal Haasan and Amitabh Bachchan winning Best Villain and Best Supporting Actor.

In the Kannada section, Gowri emerged as a standout, with Samarjit Lankesh and Sanya Iyer recognized as promising newcomers. B Ajaneesh Loknath’s MAX won Best Music Director, while Sandeep Sunkad earned Best Debutant Director for Shakhakaari.

The awards also celebrated debut talents across categories, including Niharika Konidela (Best Debut Producer for Committee Kurollu) and Bhagyashree Borse (Best Debut Actress for Mr. Bachchan).

The Malayalam and Tamil winners will be revealed on Saturday, with The Goat Life (Aadujeevitham) leading with 10 nominations, followed closely by ARM and Aavesham.