Bengaluru: Actor Sudeep on Thursday declined to accept the Best Actor award announced by the Karnataka Government stating he has stopped receiving awards for several years for personal reasons.
"It is truly a privilege to have received the state award under the best actor category, and I extend my heartfelt thanks to the jury for this honour. However, I must express that I have chosen to stop receiving awards for several years now, a decision made for various personal reasons," Sudeep said in his X post.
The Karnataka Government on Wednesday announced Sudeep as the best actor for 2019 for his role in 'Pailwan' along with other awards in various categories. Expressing gratitude to the jury members and Karnataka government for having chosen him for the award, Sudeep apologised to them for any disappointment his decision may cause.
"My dedication to entertaining people has always been without the expectation of awards. I trust you will respect my choice and support me on the path I have chosen," he said.
The Karnataka government announced the awards for 2019 on Wednesday after a five-year delay caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and other reasons. The Government is yet to announce awards for 2020 to 2024.
Award-winning director P Sheshadri's film 'Mohanadas' bagged the first best film award while V Srinivas's directorial 'Arghyam' won the second best film award respectively.
