- Wednesday, January 15, 2025
The film, directed by Blessy and based on Benyamin’s novel, secured several key awards including Best Director and Best Actor
By: India Weekly
THE 54th Kerala State Film Awards for 2023 were announced on Friday, with ‘Aadu Jeevitham’ emerging as a standout winner.
The film, directed by Blessy and based on Benyamin’s novel, secured several key awards including Best Director and Best Actor.
Malayalam actor Prithviraj Sukumaran received the Best Actor award for his portrayal of Najeeb, a migrant worker in a Gulf country.
In addition to Blessy’s Best Director accolade, ‘Aadu Jeevitham’ also won Best Popular Film.
K R Gokul, a supporting actor in the film, received a Special Jury Mention. Blessy was also honoured for Best Script Adaptation, while Rasool Pookkutty and Sarath Menon shared the award for Best Sound Design/Mixing.
Prithviraj expressed his “extreme happiness” with the awards, noting the film’s multiple recognitions. The Best Actor (female) award was shared by Urvasi for ‘Ullozhukk’ and Beena R Chandran for ‘Thadavu’.
The award for Best Movie went to “Kaathal – The Core”, directed by Jeo Baby. Vijayaraghavan won Best Character Artist for “Pookkalam”, and Sreeshma Chandran was awarded Best Character Artist (female) for “Pombillai Orumai”.
Other winners included Vidhyadharan Master for Best Playback Singer (male) for “Pathiranennorthoru Kanavil”, Ann Ami for Best Playback Singer (female) for “Thingalpoovin Ithalaval”, and Justin Varghese for Best Music Director for “Chaver”. Mathews Pulikkan won Best Background Score for “Kaathal – The Core”.
Awards for Best Original Script and Best Cinematography went to Rohit M G Krishnan and Sunil K S respectively. Andrew D’cruz and Vishakh Babu received the Best Visual Effects award for “2018: Everyone is a Hero”, and Mohandas was recognised for Best Art Direction for the same film.
Special Jury Mentions were awarded to Sudhi Kozhikode for “Kaathal, The Core” and Krishnan for “Jaivam”. “Gaganachari” directed by Arun Chandu also received a special jury award.
The jury, led by Sudhir Mishra, reviewed a record 160 films this year, the highest number ever. Kerala Minister for Culture Saji Cheriyan announced plans for a major cinema conclave in Kochi to discuss further industry developments and recommendations.
