Aadujeevitham, a cinematic depiction of an inspiring real-life story of human resilience against almost insurmountable odds, swept the 54th Kerala State Film Awards with nine accolades. Among its prestigious wins were the awards for Best Director, claimed by Blessy, and Best Actor, secured by Prithviraj Sukumaran. On the other hand, Kaathal – The Core, directed by Jeo Baby, achieved critical acclaim by winning the Best Film and Best Story awards.
Urvashi and Beena R. Chandran jointly shared the Best Actor (Female) honours for their exemplary performances. Urvashi’s nuanced portrayal in Ullozhukku unveiled the depths of a woman grappling with unexpected loss following her son’s death, while Beena R. Chandran captivated viewers as a woman enduring a cascade of misfortunes in Fazil Razak’s Thadavu. These powerful performances cemented their standing in the industry. Fazil Razak was also celebrated as the Best Debutant Director.
Aadujeevitham’s impressive haul of accolades did not stop at Best Director and Best Actor. The film also secured titles for Best Popular Film, Best Adapted Screenplay for Blessy, Best Cinematography for K.S. Sunil, a Special Jury Award (Actor) for K.R. Gokul, Best Sound Mixing for Resul Pookutty and Sarath Mohan, Best Makeup Artist for Ranjith Ambady, and Best Processing Lab/Colourist for Vaishal Shiva Ganesh.
In addition to these, the awards shone a spotlight on Iratta, a poignant narrative revolving around the divergent lives of twins, which earned Rohith M.G. Krishnan the Best Original Screenplay and the accolade for Best Second Film. Jayadevan Chakkadath and Anil Radhakrishnan were honored for their outstanding Sound Design in Ullozhukku. The artistry in Jude Anthany Joseph’s film 2018 was recognized with awards for Best Visual Effects, by Andrew D Cruz and Vishakh Babu, and Best Art Direction by Mohandas. Sangeeth Prathap’s meticulous editing work on Little Miss Rawther received the Best Editing Award.
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Musical talents were also highlighted, with Justine Varghese winning Best Music for Chaaver, and Mathews Pulickan being awarded for creating the Best Background Music for Kaathal – The Core. Veteran music director Vidhyadharan Master was honoured as the Best Playback Singer for the song ‘Pathiranennorthoru Kanavil’ from Jananam 1947 Pranayam Thudarunnu, while Ann Amie won the award for her rendition of ‘Thinkalppoovin Ithalival’ from Pachuvum Albuthavilakkum.
Special recognitions included Sudhi Kozhikode’s Special Jury (Actor) Award for Kaithal and Krishnan for his role in Jaivam. Shalini Ushadevi garnered the Special Jury Award for women/transgender people for her directorial work in Ennennum.
The awards were decided by a distinguished jury chaired by filmmaker Sudhir Mishra, with members including Alagappan N, Lijo Jose Pellissery, Sreevalsan J Menon, Priyanandan TR, C Ajoy, NS Madhavan, and Ann Augustine. This year’s awards saw a record-setting 160 film submissions. From these, a preliminary jury shortlisted 35 films, while the final jury brought back an additional three films previously excluded.
Notably, 22 of the final 38 films were crafted by debutant directors, showcasing the fresh and dynamic talent entering the Malayalam cinema industry. Despite having four entries in the children’s film category, the jury found none worthy of an award.
The announcement of these distinguished awards was made by the Minister for Cultural Affairs, Saji Cherian, in the presence of the jury members. Here is the complete list of winners from the coveted 54th Kerala State Film Awards:
Best Film – Kaathal: The Core (Director: Jeo Baby)
Best Actor (Male) – Prithviraj Sukumaran (Aadujeevitham)
Best Actor (Female) – Urvashi (Ullozhukku), Beena R. Chandran (Thadavu)
Best Director – Blessy (Aadujeevitham)
Second Best Film – Iratta (Director: Rohith M.G. Krishnan)
Best Film with Popular Appeal and Aesthetic Value – Aadujeevitham (Dir: Blessy)
Best Character Actor (Male) – Vijayaraghavan (Pookkalam)
Best Character Actor (Female) – Sreeshma Chandran (Pombalai Orumai)
Best Debut Director – Fazil Razak (Thadavu)
Best Story – Adarsh Sukumaran (Kaathal: The Core)
Best Composer – Justine Varghese (Chaaver)
Best Background Music – Mathews Pulickan (Kaathal: The Core)
Best Playback Singer (Male) – Vidhyadharan Master (“Pathiranennorthoru Kanavil” from Jananam 1947 Pranayam Thudarunnu)
Best Playback Singer (Female) – Ann Amie (“Thinkalppoovin Ithalaval” from Pachuvum Athbhutha Vilakkum)
Best Lyrics – Hareesh Mohanan (“Chenthamara Poovin” from Chaaver)
Best Editor – Sangeeth Prathap (Little Miss Rawther)
Best Screenplay (Original) – Rohith M.G. Krishnan (Iratta)
Best Screenplay (Adapted) – Blessy (Aadujeevitham)
Best Cinematography – K.S. Sunil (Aadujeevitham)
Best Children’s Film – No entry worthy of award
Best Child Actor (Male) – Avyukth Menon (Pachuvum Athbhutha Vilakkum)
Best Child Actor (Female) – Thennal Abhilash (Shesham Mikeil Fathima)
Best Art Direction – Mohandas (2018)
Best Sync Sound – Shameer Ahmed (O.Baby)
Best Sound Mixing – Resul Pookkutty and Sarath Mohan (Aadujeevitham)
Best Sound Designing – Jayadevan Chakkadath and Anil Radhakrishnan (Ullozhukku)
Best Dubbing Artiste (Male) – Roshan Mathew (Ullozhukku for the character Rajeev, Valatty for Tomy, the dog)
Best Dubbing Artiste (Female) – Sumangala (Jananam 1947 Pranayam Thudarunnu for Gouri Teacher)
Best Choreography – Jishnu (Sulaikha Manzil)
Best Makeup – Ranjith Ambady (Aadujeevitham)
Best Costume – Femina Jabbar (O Baby)
Best VFX – Andrew D Cruz, Vishakh Babu (2018)
Best Processing Lab/Colourist – Vaisakh Siva Ganesh (Aadujeevitham)
Special award for transpersons or women for any category – Shalini Usha Devi (Ennennum)
Jury Mention (Film) – Gaganachari (Director: Arun Chandu)
Jury Mention (Actor) – Krishnan (Jaivam), K.R. Gokul (Aadujeevitham), Sudhi Kozhikode (Kaathal: The Core)
These accolades not only highlight the remarkable talent present in Malayalam cinema but also set a high bar for excellence in the industry.
