Rajamouli was on Sunday presented the ANR Award on the hands of M Venkaiah Naidu, the Hon'ble Vice-President of India. The event was graced also by K Chandrasekhar Rao, the Chief Minister of Telangana.

Vice President Venkaiah Naidu described Rajamouli as one of the most creative, innovative and inspiring film-makers in India." "You deserve the award because you are Baahubali," Naidu said in his usual style. He also added saying, "Felicitation is to provide inspiration and to inspire people. It is a memorable moment for me to present evergreen ANR award today."

Speaking about the legendary ANR, KCR said, “The doyen of Telugu film industry, Dr. Akkineni Nageswara Rao, left a lasting impression. He immortalised many roles across a wide range of genres. He symbolized Telugu cinema in its entirely. He laid the foundation of TFI's development in Hyderabad. He dedicated his life for building a film industry eco-system.” The CM also recited the lyrics from some old songs featuring ANR. He also praised director Rajamouli, saying that he enjoyed watching 'Bahubali' first in Hindi and in Telugu the second time.

When his turn came, Nag said, Rajamouli`s contribution to expanding the Telugu Film Industry's global reach with universally appealing content. He has inspired new filmmakers to break creative boundaries. He would have made Dr. Akkineni Nageswara Rao garu proud of our choice."

Finally, the award's recipient said, "Though I do not feel deserving for this exemplary award, I feel it gives you power and wings to fly. It is a huge burden, it certainly inspires me to work harder. I will certainly continue to work harder and try to worthy of this award started by great ANR garu."