Malayalam movies have once again created a name for themselves on the national arena, winning a lot of awards at the 71st National Film Awards. On Friday, Ashutosh Gowariker, the head of the jury and a well-known director, announced the long-awaited prizes for 2023 in Delhi. This brought up some proud moments and some controversies.
Veteran Actors Honored for Great Work
Vijayaraghavan and Urvashi, two experienced performers, led the way for Malayalam film. They were rightly voted Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress, respectively.
Vijayaraghavan won the award for his powerful performance as an old man in Ganesh Raj’s “Pookkaalam.” At the same time, the very brilliant Urvashi was praised for her subtle portrayal in the movie “Ullozhukku.”
The Best Malayalam Film is “Ullozhukku.”
Adding to the joy, ‘Ullozhukku,’ helmed by first-time filmmaker Christo Tomy, won the award for Best Malayalam Film. This award shows how much talent is growing in the industry and how interesting the stories are that are being told.
Acknowledged Technical Excellence
Malayalam movies were praised not only for their acting and directing, but also for their technical skills. Mohandas won the award for Best Production Design for the popular movie “2018,” which was a huge hit with both critics and audiences. Midhun Murali won the Best Editing award for his efforts on “Pookkaalam.”
Special Mentions for Important Contributions
In the non-feature section, M.K. Ramdas got a special mention for his documentary “Nekal-Chronicle of the Paddy Man.” This thought-provoking movie is about Cheruvayal Raman, a Padma Shri awardee who is well-known for his important work in preserving indigenous seed types. M.R. Radhakrishnan, a talented sound designer from Kerala, also got a special mention for his work on the Hindi film “Animal.”
What the Winners Said:
Vijayaraghavan was overjoyed when he heard the news. “I used to look forward to awards with great excitement. He told reporters that he didn’t expect them at all these days, so this was a very nice surprise.
Urvashi respectfully gave her trophy to Christo Tomy, the director of “Ullozhukku.” “I really hoped he would win Best Debut Director for this important work,” she said, admiring Tomy’s vision.
In response, a humble Christo Tomy said that the film’s success was due to his hard-working staff. “This honor is really for the whole ‘Ullozhukku’ crew. He said, “Urvashi and Parvathy Thiruvothu were completely irreplaceable in their roles, adding a lot of depth to the characters.”
There is a lot of debate about “The Kerala Story” win.
But there was some disagreement in the middle of the delight. The choice to give Sudipto Sen’s controversial Hindi film “The Kerala Story” the Best Director award has caused a lot of anger in Kerala.
V. Sivankutty, Kerala’s State General Education Minister, strongly disagreed, saying that the honor “diminishes the very value of the national awards.” He said in a very strong statement, “It is very sad that an award has been given to a movie full of false accusations and hate propaganda.” This is not an award for creative talent; it is an acknowledgment of efforts to divide our society. The minister’s comments bring attention to the ongoing discussion about the film’s story and its effects.