The 14th edition of the South Indian International Movie Awards (SIIMA) began on Saturday with Telugu and Kannada cinema taking centre stage. Teja Sajja, Aishwarya Rajesh and Rishab Shetty were among the prominent winners announced on the first day of the two-day ceremony in Bengaluru.
SIIMA 2026 is being held on September 12 and 13 at the Koramangala Indoor Stadium. The awards have been divided across the two days by language, with Telugu and Kannada films being honoured on September 12, followed by Tamil and Malayalam cinema on September 13.
SIIMA 2026 Telugu winners
Teja Sajja took home the Best Actor award for his performance in Mirai. The actor's win was among the notable honours for Telugu cinema on the first day.
Aishwarya Rajesh also had a strong evening, winning Best Actress as well as Best Actress, Critics for Sankranthiki Vasthunam.
Sakkshi Mhadolkar was recognised in two categories for Mowgli. She won Best Debut Actress and Best Debut Director, making her one of the notable names among the Telugu winners.
The music categories also saw honours for Sankranthiki Vasthunam and Court: State vs a Nobody. Ramana Gogula won Best Playback Singer, Male for Godari Gattu from Sankranthiki Vasthunam, while Sameera Bharadwaj was named Best Playback Singer, Female for Premalo from Court: State vs a Nobody.
SIIMA 2026 Kannada winners
Kannada cinema also had several winners on the first day. Rishab Shetty won Best Actor for Kantara: Chapter 1, adding another major recognition for his performance in the film.
SS Dushyanth was named Best Debut Actor for Gatha Vaibhava. Meanwhile, J. P. Thuminad won Best Supporting Actor as well as Best Debut Director for Su From So.
The Day 1 results highlighted performances across established stars and debutants, with the awards recognising both acting talent and work behind the camera.
SIIMA 2026 Day 2 to honour Tamil and Malayalam cinema
The SIIMA celebrations continue in Bengaluru on Sunday, September 13. While the first day was dedicated to Telugu and Kannada cinema, the second day will shift the focus to Tamil and Malayalam films and artistes. The winners in these two industries will be announced during the second day of the ceremony. With the awards spread across two evenings, SIIMA 2026 is set to recognise achievements from all four major South Indian film industries.
The Tamil and Malayalam winner announcements on September 13 will complete this year's SIIMA honours, following a first day that saw Teja Sajja, Aishwarya Rajesh, Rishab Shetty and several other artistes take home awards.
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