Having dealt a novel story with sensibility and intelligence, Raj Madiraju, who debuted with Arvind Krishna's Rushi, has been awarded the Best Debut Director at the Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival, which was a two-day event held at Noida Institute of Engineering and Technology, Greater Noida.

This is definitely a well-deserved award for the filmmaker. Hailing from the corporate background, Raj was inspired by Erich Segal's Doctors.

Our review on the film said, "Director Raj Madiraju shows a characteristic canniness when he starts augmenting the proceedings with his convictions. Consequently, his film easily crosses into a zone where the humanity it tries to argue for lends it that distinct "human story" quality. The flavour of Rushi, on the face of it, is multiplex, but nobody who watches the second half will not want to appreciate its universal essence and intelligent touch."

Rushi was the only Telugu film to be nominated for the award. IndiaGlitz congratulates the director on making Tollywood proud.