Thiruvananthapuram – The 2023 State Film Awards have been announced. Cultural Affairs Minister Saji Cherian revealed the awards at a press conference in the Secretariat’s P.R. Chamber.
Kaathal, directed by Jio Baby, was selected as the Best Film. Aadujeevitham, by Blessy and Prithviraj’s team, was recognized as the Best Popular Film. Prithviraj was awarded Best Actor for his role in Aadujeevitham, while Blessy received the Best Director award for the same film. The State Award for Best Adapted Screenplay was also given to Blessy for Aadujeevitham.
Urvashi was honored as Best Actress for her performance in Ullozhukku. Beena R. Chandran received the Best Actress award for her role as Geetha in Thadavu.
Mathews Pulickal was named Best Music Director for his work on Kaathal. The Best Story Writer award went to Adarsh Sukumaran for Kaathal.
Fasil Razak was recognized as Best Debut Director for Thadav. Vidyadharan Master was honored as Best Male Playback Singer. The Best Female Playback Singer award went to Ann Amie for her performance in Pachuvum Athbuthavilakkum. Harish Mohanan received the Best Lyrics award for Madhyama Ganam.
The Best Background Music award went to Mathews Pulickal for Kaathal The Core. Justin Varghese was recognized as the Best Music Director (Songs) for Chaver.
Jaya Devan Chakkadath and Anil Devan received the Best Sound Recording award for Ullozhukku. Rasul Pookutty and Sharath Mohan won Best Sound Mixing for Aadujeevitham. Mohan Das was honored as Best Art Director for 2018.
Roshan Mathew was named Best Dubbing Artist for Ullozhukku. Sumangala received the Best Dubbing Artist (Female) award. Femina Jabar won Best Costume Designer for O Baby. Ranjith Ambadi was awarded Best Makeup Artist for Aadujeevitham.
Special mentions include:
- K.R. Gokul for Aadujeevitham.
- Krishna for Jeivam.
- Sudhi Kozhikode for Kaathal The Core.
No award was given for Best Children’s Film.
The State Film Awards Jury Chairperson was Sudhir Mishra, with Priyanandanan and Cinematographer Azakappan serving as the primary jury chairs. Lijo Jose Pellissery and writer N.S. Madhavan was also a jury member.
Initially, over 200 films were considered, with many not yet released to the public. 84 debut films were included in the list. In the second phase of selection, the number was reduced to under fifty. Many films shown at recent international film festivals also competed. Screenings took place at two theaters in the Kerala State Film Academy headquarters.
The final list included 35 films, mostly new releases. The competition for Best Actor was particularly intense, with Mammootty’s performance in Kaathal and Prithviraj’s in Aadujeevitham reaching the final round. The Best Actress award also saw stiff competition between Urvashi for her role in Ullozhukku and Parvathy Thiruvothu for her performance as Anju in the same film. Anashwara Rajan was considered for her role in Mohanlal-Jithu Joseph’s film Neru. Some films that have not yet been released also made it to the final list.
Among the films that reached the final round for Best Film were Kaathal, directed by Jio Baby with Mammootty in the lead, Kannur Squad, directed by Roby Varghese Raj with Mammootty as the protagonist, and Aadujeevitham, directed by Blessy with Prithviraj in the lead. Ullozhukku, directed by Christo Tomy with Urvashi and Parvathy as the main characters, was also in contention. Over forty films, including Faalimy and others, reached the final round. Directors like Blessy, Jio Baby, and Christo Tomy were considered for the Best Director award.
