Pre-release event of Nani and Nazriya Nazim's 'Ante Sundaraniki' was held in Hyderabad on June 9 and was graced by Powerstar Pawan Kalyan The pre-release event of Vivek Athreya directorial Ante Sundaraniki starring Nani and Nazriya Nazim in the lead was held in Hyderabad on Thursday. Pawan Kalyan was the chief guest for the event. Here are the highlights from the event: Pawan Kalyan: I thank the team of ‘Ante Sundaraniki’ for inviting me to this event. I like Nani not only as an actor but also as a person. I respect him a lot because he doesn’t get cowed down when problems arise. I wholeheartedly wish that he picks up many successes in his career. I’d like to welcome Nazriya Nazim to Tollywood and at the same time, I extend my best wishes to director Vivek Athreya and the entire team of ‘Ante Sundaraniki’. The Telugu film industry belongs to all of us. It isn’t the chattel of any one particular individual or group. The Telugu audiences have given me the strength to face up to any number of hurdles. In the Telugu film industry, obviously everyone will not have the same political affiliations. But politics is different and ‘cinema’ is different. I am aware of this fact and would like to stress that at the end of the day, cinema is a teamwork of the 24 crafts and we are one big family. Nani: I have met many heroes since entering the Telugu film industry in the last 14 years but not Pawan Kalyan sir. Nevertheless, it always felt like I knew him very well. ‘Ante Sundariniki team ki thikka undi…kaani daniki o lekka undi (The entire team has some craziness but there’s a reason to it). I’m very proud of this film and I hope that the audiences enjoy this film as much as we did while making it. Nazriya Nazim: I can’t believe that I’m standing here in front of Pawan Kalyan sir. I thank him for coming today and blessing us all. The first film that I watched in a theatre in Hyderabad was ‘Bheemla Nayak’. It’s been an incredible learning experience for me on this film as I got to work with so many seniors. Nani has been the most amazing co-actor I’ve ever worked with. I couldn’t have asked for a better debut film in Telugu. This wouldn’t have been possible without Vivek Athreya. I thank him for giving me ‘Leela Thomas’ and trusting me to execute the role well. Vivek Athreya: Our team has watched the ‘first copy’ and we are super confident. The biggest celebration we could have asked for is Pawan Kalyan sir coming to the pre-release event. When I took the decision to quit my job and enter the world of films, I felt very proud. Today, after watching the first copy of the film, I feel proud once again. I’d like to thank the producers for backing me on this unconventional yet entertaining script.