Films are made for viewers, not juries: Prithviraj reacts to National Award row

Prithviraj has responded to the National Award snub of ‘Aadujeevitham’, stressing that cinema is ultimately for the people, not for a handful of jury members. Speaking at a public event in Sharjah, the actor said that while awards and international festival screenings have their own merits, the true recognition comes from audiences.

“A film is not made for ten people to sit and grade it or for a jury to judge. Nor is it created only for international festivals, though those are certainly valuable. But at the end of the day, movies are made for the audience — for people who buy a ticket, come to theatres, and enjoy the experience. In that sense, the viewers have already given ‘Aadujeevitham’ its biggest award. For that, I am grateful,” he said.

The film’s absence from the National Awards had earlier sparked heated discussions online. Despite becoming a huge box-office success, winning nine Kerala State Film Awards, and being submitted in 14 categories, ‘Aadujeevitham’ failed to pick up a single honour at the national level.

Adding to the debate, actor Urvashi also criticised the jury for placing her performance in ‘Ullozhukku’ and Vijayaraghavan’s role in ‘Pookkaalam’ under the Best Supporting Actor category, despite both being lead characters.