New Delhi: The selection of the Malayalam films for National Film Awards sparked a new controversy after allegations that 'quality' films including Manju Warrier's comeback flick 'How Old Are You' were omitted from the list that was sent to the jury.
It is alleged that substandard movies found place in the list of films from Kerala for the National Awards. The row is said to have been ignited when the Central Jury Chairman decided to call back 'How Old Are You' using his special powers.
Mammootty-starrer 'Munnariyippu' directed by Venu, 'Njan' directed by Ranjith, Salim Kumar's directorial debut 'Compartment' and 'Oralappokkam' directed by Sanal Kumar Sasidharan are among the 11 films that have been nominated by the regional jury.
The allegation that the jury, which included film director Kamal, had injudiciously dumped many films that received critical acclaim, had paved way for a squabble in the panel that met for selecting films for the national award.
Though jury chairman and renowned Tamil filmmaker Bharathiraja took the stand to include 'How Old Are You', many others were of the view that there were other meritorious Malayalam entries too which were left out. Another demand was that the regional jury should re-examine their list. However, with very less time remaining for the announcement of the National Film Awards, it will not be impractical to screen the Malayalam movies once again.
Sources say that Mammootty ('Munnariyippu') is in the final round of Best Actor race along with Shahid Kapoor ('Haider') and Aamir Khan ('PK').
Meanwhile Salim Kumar's 'Compartment' is expected to earn a Special Jury mention, sources added.