India (Commonwealth Union)_ The 55th Kerala State Film Awards celebrated the best of Malayalam cinema this year, with the survival thriller Manjummel Boys emerging as the top winner. The awards were announced in Thrissur on Monday by Minister for Cultural Affairs Saji Cherian. The jury, chaired by noted actor Prakash Raj, included filmmaker Ranjan Pramod, director Jibu Jacob, writer Santhosh Echikkanam, playback singer Gayathri Ashokan, sound designer Nithin Lukose, and actor-writer Baghyalakshmi. Out of 128 films submitted, 38 were shortlisted for the final round before the winners were selected.
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Manjummel Boys dominated the event, winning 10 awards, including Best Film and Best Director for Chidambaram. The filmmaker also bagged the award for Best Original Screenplay. Actor Soubin Shahir shared the Best Character Actor (Male) award with Sidharth Bharathan for his role in Bramayugam. The film also excelled in technical categories, earning awards for Best Sound Mixing, Sound Design, Cinematography (Shyju Khalid), and Art Direction (Ajayan Challissery).
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Furthermore, veteran star Mammootty won the Best Actor award for his outstanding performance in Rahul Sadasivan’s critically acclaimed horror film Bramayugam. The Best Actress honor went to Shamla Hamza for her powerful role in Fasil Muhammed’s Feminichi Fathima, which also won Second Best Film. Director Fasil Muhammed was named Best Debut Director for the same film. The romantic comedy Premalu was recognized as the Best Film with Popular Appeal and Aesthetic Value.
Actress Lijomol Jose won Best Character Actor (Female) for Nadanna Sambhavam, while Lajo Jose and Amal Neerad received the award for Best Adapted Screenplay for Bougainvillea. Special Jury Awards for Acting were presented to Jyothirmayi (Bougainvillea), Darshana Rajendran (Paradise), Asif Ali (Kishkindha Kaandam), and Tovino Thomas (ARM). Additionally, Payal Kapadia received a special award in the Women/Transgender category for All We Imagine As Light, and Prasanna Vithanage won Best Story for Paradise, which also earned a Special Jury Mention.
