Is Prithviraj’s ‘Aadujeevitham’ in the race for this year’s National Awards?

As anticipation builds ahead of the announcement of the National Film Awards, speculation has been rife over whether Prithviraj Sukumaran could win the Best Actor award for his acclaimed performance as Najeeb in Blessy’s ‘Aadujeevitham.’

However, director Blessy has dismissed the rumours, clarifying that ‘Aadujeevitham’ has not been submitted for this year’s National Awards.

Speaking to Onmanorama, the filmmaker said, “Aadujeevitham was, of course, submitted for the National Awards last year, where we lost out to The Kerala Story, which won the awards for Best Feature Film and Best Director. I still strongly disagree with that decision. However,  I don’t know why there is speculation that Prithviraj is being considered for the National Awards this time for Aadujeevitham, because we have not submitted the film this year.”

The jury’s decision last year, led by filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker, had drawn criticism from several quarters.

This year’s National Film Awards jury is chaired by Malayalam filmmaker Jayaraj, who had previously served as a jury member in 2014. The awards will be announced in New Delhi at 5.30 pm today. Among the Malayalam films generating high expectations are ‘Manjummel Boys’ and ‘Bramayugam,’ while films such as ‘Amaran,’ ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ and ‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’ are also expected to be strong contenders across major categories.