Naidu (third from left) and Sin (fourth from left) presenting the Rafflesia pearl necklace sets to MICA winners (from left) Shasitharan, Suhan, Shalini, Kumeresh, Puvanendran and Ganesh at the prize-giving ceremony.
IN A tremendous show of support, Rafflesia The Pearl Centre gave RM70,000 worth of pearls to the winners of the Malaysian Indian Cine Award (Mica) as recognition of their efforts in the entertainment industry.
A total of 11 artistes, one of whom won two awards, each walked home with a set of freshwater pearl necklace.
Rafflesia marketing manager Sin Hui Chin said the idea behind the Mica sponsorship was to support local artistes.
“Previously, Rafflesia had been doing several Deepavali advertisements with local Indian artistes.
“Sponsoring the awards is a way for us to reward the winners for their achievements,” she said during a press conference at the Rafflesia The Pearl Centre, Parkroyal, Kuala Lumpur.
Mica founder and producer RG Naidu said Rafflesia was the first company to come in with such a sponsorship deal.
“Rafflesia is a known brand in the beauty segment and it fits in well with the entertainment industry,” he said.
“We are glad they came in as a sponsor and gave full support to our community through this event,” he added.
Mica was initiated by Naidu to create a benchmark for Indian artistes in the entertainment industry.
The awards, which took place on Dec 23 at TSR Conference Hall, Shah Alam, celebrates achievements in local Indian cinema and serves as a platform on which local stars can shine.
Naidu said the event had helped to elevate Indian artistes in the country to the next level with people beginning to pay more attention to local films and more and more projects coming online.
“It has encouraged more interaction among filmmakers as well as artistes to continue coming up with quality movies,” he added.
“This is the first time we are being rewarded with exclusive pearls by Rafflesia, and it is definitely an inspiring token of appreciation” said Kash Villanz, who won two sets of pearls for winning the Best Newcomer Actor and Most Popular Actor awards.
He also won the Hotlinks People’s Choice Award at Mica 2016.
Kumeresh Anthonysamy, winner of the Best Actor award, said he did not expect to win.
“I attended the event as a nominee, not expecting an award. I just wanted to support the effort of the entire team. But I’m happy to receive it,” he said.
Susan Panchacaram said Mica was a great boost for up-and-coming local artistes.
The Mica 2016 winners are as follows:
Best Actor – Kumeresh Anthonysamy
Best Actress – Kavitha Thiagarajan
Best Newcomer Actor – Kash Villainz
Best Newcomer Actress – Ashwin Kaur Rai
Best Male Singer – Shastan Kurup
Best Female Singer - Shinthiyashine
The Most Popular Actor – Kash Villianz
The Most Popular Actress – Shamini
Mica Icon Award – Shasitharan Sabapathy
Best Short-Film Actor – Ganesh
Best Director – SD Puvanendran
Lifetime Achievement – Suhan Panchacaram