A variety of movies has been nominated for the state awards this year.The screening of movies which are in the race for this year’s Kerala state awards began Thursday at the KINFRA Film and Video Institute in Kazhakuttom. Around 110 movies are nominated this year in various categories.
Five or six movies will be selected to the final round, and the Malayali movie lovers are eagerly waiting know which movies will make it to the finals.
Malayalam cinema has always given space to film makers who are passionate about their craft. This is evident from the fact that, this year, many new faces and their movies will compete with ace film makers for the coveted titles.
Sanal Kumar Sasidharan’s, S Durga, which whipped up a controversy at the International Film Festival of India in Goa, is also in the race for state awards. The movies of Mammootty, Mohanlal, Dileep, Prithviraj, Kunchacko Boban, Fahadh Faasil, Nivin pauly, Jayasurya, Asif Ali, Dulquer Salman, Vineeth Sreenivasan, Biju Menon and Tovino Thomas are nominated in various categories, while Manju Warrier and Parvathy have made their strong presence felt with their female-centric movies.
Meanwhile, a bunch of debutante directors are all set to overcome the star power with their small yet good movies which were critically successful. Sanju Surendran, who won the Rajatha Chakoram for the best debut director for his film Aedan at the IFFK is in the competition to give many ace directors a run for their money.
A variety of movies, from art films to commercial blockbusters like Aadu 2 and Mayaanadhi, have been nominated for the state awards this year. Filmmakers like Shyamaprasad, Dileesh Pothen, Priyanandanan, MB Padmakumar, R Sharath, Vipin Vijay, MA Nishad and Arun Kumar Aravind who have wowed the jury members in the previous years are back this time too with their movies.
Jayaraj and Lijo Jose Pellisserry have submitted two movies each. Bayanakam and Veeram directed by Jayaraj are competing this year, while Lijo Jose Pellisserry’s Angamaly Diaries and Ee Ma Yau are considered front runners in many categories.
There are seven children’s movies being considered for the awards this year. The award committee will be divided into two groups and each group will watch and judge 55 movies. The movies which are selected for the final round will be watched again by all the jury members together if necessary. The state award is expected to be announced on March 12.
The jury is headed by ace director TV Chandran and has directors Dr Biju, Manoj Kana, cinematographer Santosh Thundiyil, music composer Jerry Amaldev, script writer Cheriyan Kalpakavadi, sound engineer Vivek Anand, writer and critic Dr M Rajeev Kumar and actress Jalaja as its members.
Jerry AmaldevMahesh Panchu, Secretary of Kerala Chalachitra Academy, is the member secretary.
The list of the movies and its directors nominated for the state awards:
Telescope (MB Padmakumar), Aashiq Vanna Divasam (Krish Kaimal), Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum (Dileesh Pothen), My School (Pappan Payatuvila), Pashu (MD Sukumaran), Sakhavu (Sidhartha Siva), Pullikkaran Staara (Shyamdhar), Mannamkattayum Kriyilyum (Arun Sagara), Nee Maathram Saakshi (Guru), Ramante Edanthottam ( Ranjith Sankar), Thaan (Maya), Punyalan Private Limited (Ranjith Sankar), Ottamuri Velicham (Rahul Riji Nair), Aby (Srikant Murali), Kunjiramante Kuppayam (Sidhique Chennamangalur), Hadiya (PC Lathish, Unni Pranavam), Shrik (Manu Krishna), Take It Easy (AK Sathar), Sunday Holiday (Jis Joy), C/O Saira Banu (Antony Sony), Rakshadhikari Baiju Oppu (TP Pramod), Sadrishya Vakyam24:29 (M Prashanth, Njandukalude Naatil Oridavela (Althaf C Salim), Parava (Soubin Shahir), Comrade In America – CIA (Amal Neerad), Ula (G Krishna Swamy), Athishayangalude Venal ( Prasanth Vijay), Melle (UlahannanBinu), Aden (Sanju Surendran), Puzha (KA Surendran), Sreehalli (Sachin Raj), Stethoscope (Suresh Iringalloor), Lalibela (Biju Bernard), Kharam (Dr PV Jose), Onnumariyathe (Sajeev Vyasa), Maravi (Santosh Babu Senan, Satheesh Babu Senan), Savari (T Ashok Kumar), Chodyam (Biju Sukumar), Sakhavinte Priyasakhi (Sidhique Thamarassery) Chakkaramaavin Kombathu ( Tony Chittotukalam), Kinar ( MA Nishad), Pathirakaalam (Priyanandanan), Mayanadhi (Ashiq Abu), Randuper (Prem Shankar), Kadamkatha (Senthil Rajan), Mazhayathu (Suveeran), Akatho Puratho (Sudevan), Sleeplessly Yours (Goutham Surya), Villain (B Unnikrishnan), Nilavariyathe (Utpal V Nyanar), The Crab (Bharathan Njarackal), Pareeth pandari (Gafoor Y Illiyas), Swayam (R Sharath), Velipaadinte Pusthakam (Lal Jose), Dry (Vysakh Punna), Ente Priyathamanu (P Sethurajan), Prathibasam (Vipin Vijay), Who Am I (PR Unnikrishnan, Solo (Bijoy Nambiar), Hey Jude (Shyamaprasad), Udaharanam Sujatha (Phantom Praveen), Aalorukkam (Abhilash), Vimanam (Pradeep M Nair), Eliammachiyude Adyathe Christmas (Benny Asamsa), Thrissivaperoor Kliptham (Ratheeshkumar), Bonsai (Sathoshkumar Peringethu), Theeram (Saheed Arafat), Take Off (Mahesh Narayanan), Kattu ( Arunkumar Aravind), Eeda (B Ajith Kumar), Tiyan (GN Krishnakumar), S Durga (Sanakumar Sasidharan), The Great Ftaher ( Haneef Adeeni), Devasparsham (VR Gopinath), Sarvopari Paalakkaran (Venu Gopan), Duryodhana (Pradosh Mohan) Clint (Harikumar), Varnyathil Aashanka (Sidharth Bharathan), Iratta Jeevitham (Suresh Narayanan), Meezan (Jabbar Chemmadu), Ninne Njan Pranayikkatte (Sunil Kumar), Cross Road ( anthology movie with many directors), Viswaguru (Vijeesh Mani), Aadu 2 (Mithun Manuel Thoams), Adam Joan (Jinu V Abraham), Angamaly Diaries (Lijo Jose Pelliserry), Utharam Parayathe (Kollam K Rajesh), Paippin Chuvattile Pranayam (Domin D’Silva), Achayans (Kannan Thamarakulam), Ayal Jeevichirippundu (KP Vyasan), Nidradanam (Saji Vaikom), History of Joy (Vishnu Govindan), Sthanam (Sivaprasad), Bayanakam (Jayaraj), Ramaleela (Arun Gopi), Veeram (Jayaraj), Love Bonda (R Rajesh), Ezra (Jai R Krishnan), Godha (Basil Joseph), Ee Ma Yau (Lijo Jose Pelliserry), Oru Mexican Aparatha (Tom Emmatty), Vishwasapoorvan Mansoor (PT Kunjumuhammed), Akasha Mittayi (M Padmakumar)
List of children’s movies nominated for the state award
Swapnam (T Deepesh), Ilakal pacha Pookal Manja (Vijayakrishnan), Maram Paranjathu (Devaprasad Narayanan), Chippy (Pradeep Chokli), Jungle. com (Arun Nishal), Kalanju Poya Vithu (R Anilkumar), Dravida Puthri (Roy Thaikadan).
