Latest news with #Aadujeevitham
New Indian Express
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
And the award goes to...
When I spoke to Ashutosh Gowariker [director, and jury chairperson] over the phone and later met him in Goa, he praised Aadujeevitham. He even talked about its cinematography and compared the film to Lawrence of Arabia. However, the comments he made after the National Award announcement about the film's quality and its adaptation were surprising. The story is adapted from literature and based on real events. When it becomes a film, changes are necessary – it must speak in the language of cinema. The justifications offered after the announcement came across as mere excuses to avoid addressing questions about the film's exclusion. It feels as if there was an attempt to completely erase Aadujeevitham from the conversation. This neglect goes beyond personal disregard; those with a clear understanding will recognise the politics behind this decision. It's not just about the film not receiving an award. Even if the decision was influenced by the aftermath of Prithviraj's L2: Empuraan (which sparked political controversy over its depiction of the Gujarat riots), we have to remember that a film is the result of the collective effort of many people. Countless individuals poured years of creative energy, hard work, and dedication into the film. To consciously overlook that effort and paint the team in a negative light is deeply unfair, especially coming from someone who is not only a director but also a chairman and an artiste associated with cinema.
Scroll.in
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scroll.in
Nobody is ever happy with the National Film Awards
Nobody is ever entirely satisfied with the National Film Awards. Even if the awards are seen to be fair, deservingly granted and representative of the staggering variety in India's various language industries, there is always somebody or the other who feels slighted. This year too, the awards have stoked controversy, mainly over the decision to name Sudipto Sen as the best director for his propagandist screed The Kerala Story. The movie's cinematographer, Prasantanu Mohapatra, also won an award. Jury chairperson Ashutosh Gowariker defended picking The Kerala Story over other candidates. He told NDTV that The Kerala Story 's overblown depiction of Muslim men entrapping Hindu and Christian women in relationships in order to convert them to Islam had ' stark and realistic ' camerawork. About the film's controversial peddling of this 'love jihad' conspiracy theory, Gowariker told NDTV, 'It's a difficult topic and to convey that with the kind of clarity that as a jury we felt the need to applaud it.' In 2008, Gowariker's inter-faith romance Jodhaa Akbar in 2008 had incurred the wrath of Rajput groups. Entirely shut out from the awards was Blessy's acclaimed Malayalam film Aadujeevitham (The Goat Life). Adapted from Binyamin's novel of the same name, Aadujeevitham stars Prithviraj Sukumaran as a labourer from Kerala who manages to escape enslavement in Saudi Arabia and make it back home. Reacting to statements by Gowariker that Aadujeevitham came a cropper because it had 'technical shortcomings', Blessy claimed at a recent film event in Thiruvananthapuram that the jury chairperson had in a private conversation actually lauded the movie. 'He had praised the film highly and even compared it to Lawrence of Arabia, saying he hadn't seen the desert portrayed so beautifully since then,' Blessy asserted. Urvashi, the reputed Malayalam actor who shared the supporting actress award for Christo Tomy's Ullozhukku with Janki Bodiwala for the horror film Vash, was upset about not being nominated in the best actress category. Ullozhukku was named the best film in Malayalam. Urvashi also claimed that her Aadujeevitham co-star Sukumaran was paying the price for offending the powers-that-be with L2: Empuraan (2025), which he directed. The movie is critical of the role played by Hindutva groups in the Gujarat riots in 2002. L2: Empuraan was re-released after cutting out certain scenes, including a reference to the year 2002 and visuals of the anti-Muslim violence. Will L2: Empuraan win a National Film Award when its time comes? It's anybody's guess. Arbitrariness has been a hallmark of the awards, even though, on paper, they are free from meddling and partiality. The awards were instituted in 1954. Over the years, categories were added to acknowledge the contributions of the many departments that come together to make a film possible. Since 2021, the National Film Development Corporation, which comes under the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, has administered the functioning of the awards and picked the juries. Films have to be submitted by their producers to be eligible for consideration. To forestall the possibility of regionalism, the juries are composed of filmmakers, actors, technicians and critics from across the country. But over the years, there have been allegations of a preference for Bollywood, behind-the-scenes lobbying and pressure to pick films that reflect the ruling party's ideology. This has been achieved, the allegations maintain, by picking plaint jurors. Sometimes, jurors don't even need to be nudged in a particular direction. They read the winds and act accordingly. This is especially true of the Modi Age, where cinema has been weaponised, critical narratives are censored and pro-regime films are rewarded with tax breaks. In such a situation, the National Film Awards reflect the larger culture wars over what is acceptable. As a consequence, the win for The Kerala Story is unsurprising. It's a small mercy that the film's lead actress, Adah Sharma, didn't win the Best Actress award (it went to Rani Mukerji for Mrs. Chatterjee Vs. Norway). Binyamin, the author of The Goat Life, summed up the debate when he sarcastically told 24 News, 'What more can we expect from them in this era? The jury chairman, too, has to live in India, does he not?' Despite its problems, the National Film Awards are coveted by filmmakers across language industries. The honour could be a starting point of a journey or the culmination of a series of achievements. For directors who are working beyond the main commercial centres like Mumbai and Hyderabad, a National Film Award brings much-needed awareness about their work. Often, the first time most Indians hear of a film made in, say, Tulu or Garo, is when it wins a National Film Award. Small-budget, offbeat productions that are looking for wider distribution can get a massive boost with a National Film Award – as was the case with Chaitanya Tamhane's Court in 2015. Tamhane's Kafkaesque examination of the trial of a protest singer on an absurd charge was named the Best Feature Film weeks before its theatrical release – a development that increased interest in the arthouse drama. For movies that have already tasted box-office success, a National Film Award is like dessert at the end of a fulfilling meal. The award is the ultimate seal of governmental approval for populist entertainers, the imprimatur of acceptance from the power centre. Technicians benefit the most from National Film Awards, their hard work given the due it deserves. It's impossible to please everybody. Despite this, the National Film Awards are expected to be fair. The notion of inclusivity is right there in the use of the word 'national'. Rather than giving away top prizes to Bollywood entertainers or bigoted narratives that are contrary to the values enshrined in the Constitution, the awards are supposed to spread the honours evenly. But propagandist cinema has muddled the very meaning of 'meaningful cinema'. An already-compromised selection process has been further undermined by the imperative to legitimise political kitsch that polarises rather than unites. In India's film world these days, toeing the line, rather than sticking out the neck, pays rich dividends, one of which is a National Film Award. Here is a summary of last week's top stories. No free and fair elections? Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that party workers had combed through the electoral rolls of the Mahadevapura Assembly constituency in central Bengaluru and allegedly found discrepancies in more than one lakh names. This, he claimed, was evidence that the Election Commission had colluded with the Bharatiya Janata Party in 'destroying the election system'. Gandhi alleged that there were 11,965 duplicate voters on the rolls of the constituency, 40,009 electors with fake or invalid addresses, 10,454 'bulk voters' registered at the same address, 4,132 with invalid photographs and 33,692 in whose cases voter registration forms had been misused. The BJP had won the Bangalore Central Lok Sabha constituency in the general election last year. The Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka asked Gandhi to send the names of electors who had been allegedly wrongly included or excluded 'so that necessary proceedings can be initiated'. The official asked Gandhi to sign an oath for each such name, adding that making false declarations was an offence. On Friday, Gandhi urged his party's government in Karnataka to investigate the alleged voter fraud in Mahadevapura. Natural disaster. At least five persons died and more than 50 were missing in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district, which was hit by flash floods and landslides on Tuesday. More than 566 persons were rescued. The Dharali and Harsil areas were among the worst affected. Key arterial roads leading to Dharali, a major stopover en route to Gangotri town, remained blocked by landslides. Strategic ties strained. A day after United States President Donald Trump doubled tariffs imposed on Indian goods to 50% from 25%, citing New Delhi's purchase of oil and military equipment from Russia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday that India will not compromise on the interest of its farmers, livestock keepers and fisherfolk. 'I know that I will have to personally pay a heavy price for this,' Modi said. 'But I am ready for it.' The comment was made with a direct reference to the tariffs announced by Washington. On Wednesday, New Delhi said that it was 'extremely unfortunate' that the US had chosen to impose additional tariffs on India 'for actions that several other countries are also taking in their own national interest'. Trump has said that trade negotiations with India will not resume until a dispute about tariffs is resolved. Follow the Scroll channel on WhatsApp for a curated selection of the news that matters throughout the day, and a round-up of major developments in India and around the world every evening. What you won't get: spam.
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Jeo Baby questions ‘value' of National Awards if ‘movies cannot be treated on merit', says films backing agenda win now
The National Film Awards announced last week have been the subject of ridicule in many quarters of the movie industry, especially down south. Shah Rukh Khan winning the best actor award over Mammootty's performance in Kathal - The Core and Prithviraj's efforts in Aadujeevitham had raised eyebrows, and so did the awards given to The Kerala Story, which was widely called a propaganda movie. Jeo Baby, director of Kaathal - The Core and The Great Indian Kitchen, talks about how national awards have lost their value over the years. Excerpts from an interview: Malayalam filmmaker Jeo Baby has questioned the National Award wins for The Kerala Story this year. Jeo, what's your reaction to the National Film Awards this year? For the past 10 years or so we have seen this pattern. Movies that seem to back the agenda of the ruling parties have won awards at the national level. These awards seem to have no significance now, as they are encouraging plots and scripts that only the people in power believe in. Why have these awards when the movies cannot be treated on merit? What's the value of these awards? Are you personally disappointed that Kaathal - The Core did not win any award? Was it because it dealt with homosexuality? No. Personally, I've no such disappointment. But the awards given to The Kerala Story, a movie that misrepresented facts, is hugely disappointing. Not only was the movie full of lies, it was also shoddily made. The script, direction and acting were below par. Such misrepresentation of facts is quite scary. Previously, movies that won national awards were held in high esteem, even internationally. But the standards seem to have fallen. Awards to undeserving movies are an embarrassment. Our image internationally will be dented if this continues. It's not fair to the domestic viewers either. Sometimes we send our entries only because we feel the technical crew should not miss out on winning a possible award. What's the kind of defence mechanism that independent movie makers can adopt? I would say let's fight this with outstanding movies. Good art is the best defence against fascism. The trolls on social media are a good indication of what people think of these national awards. The audience is mature in many parts of the country, and they can see through this. Don't you think poor selections like these can demotivate good filmmakers? The good filmmakers should stop making movies for awards. Let them concentrate on their craft. There's a lot of good talent in the industry. They should view these awards in a humorous way. Do you think the jury was under pressure? I'm not sure. Maybe they have instructions from the top. Many of the best movies ever made, even globally, are those that challenged norms, were anti-establishment and spoke truth to power. Yes, I agree. That's why I say that directors should not think of awards as an end goal. Let them make movies without fear or favour.
India Today
05-08-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
Actor Urvashi questions her National Award win: Yet to decide if I should accept
Veteran Malayalam actor Urvashi, known for her outspokenness, questioned her Best Supporting Actress honour at the 71st National Awards. While she played the lead role in director Christo Tomy's 'Ullozhukku', she was awarded in a different category. In an exclusive interview with India Today, Urvashi stated that she is yet to decide whether to accept the National Award, expressing her disappointment at 'Aadujeevitham' being snubbed and raising her voice for the future will decide whether to receive the award only after I get clarity from jury members on why lead roles were considered in the supporting actor category. She said the jury should clarify what the difference was in performance and that sharing the award in that category was also not possible," she from the interview: Q: Christo Tomy said that you haven't completely healed from the gruesome shooting. When you win awards for a film like that, how does that make you feel?A: Definitely, very happy. We are happy whichever film wins it. Winning it for this film, however, adds on to the joy because, for around 40-45 days, we had to stand in the water and shoot. It was a character that was going through a lot mentally, so we will naturally get into the character at that moment. There are still many issues with my legs because of that shoot. So it's extremely joyful that such a film won this award. Also, it's the result of Christo Tomy's efforts as a filmmaker that it won Best Malayalam Film as well. So, it's double the joy! Q: You won Best Actress award for 'Ullozhukku' at the Kerala State Awards. But, you were awarded in the supporting category at the National Awards. It came as a surprise to many in Kerala...A: It was surprising to everyone who watched the movie, including media personalities. Everyone who called me to praise and congratulate me discussed this issue with me. That's how I felt like raising this question as well. Because at the state level, I got the Best Actress same goes for Vijayaraghavan, who won Best Supporting Actor [at the National Award for 'Pookkalam' despite playing the lead role]. He won the biggest honour in Malayalam - the JC Daniel award - for that film. He has a long career in films. He is the son of a legendary artist, and he did multiple films with strong characters. In this film, he played the lead role, just like I did in looking at the way awards have been presented in these many years, the Best Actor and Actress awards are given to those who play lead roles. Those who have supporting characters are given supporting characters awards. This is the first time a lead character in a film has been given a supporting character point is what if I did a good supporting role in another film, and it won the award, how are they going to give it to me? That's my question. This question is not to any government. I don't intend to include any government in this. I don't play politics. There is a jury appointed by the government. People from North might not know about everyone from every industry. Right? Old directors might know people from most time periods. But the question is whether the jury that went from the South spoke for South Indian films from Malayalam, Tamil etc.? I believe that has not happened.Q: Last year, Alia Bhatt and Kriti Sanon shared the Best Actor award. This time, it wasn't shared and the Best Supporting Actress was shared. Do you see any particular reason behind it? A: I don't think there was any reason behind it. Rani Mukherji is a really good actor. Shah Rukh Khan is a good actor. He should have won the award even before. But jury members should clarify what the difference was in performance that sharing was not possible.Q: 'Aadujeevitham' swept 9 honours at the Kerala state film awards and was appreciated highly across. Director Blessy said that the jury chairperson liked the movie and praised it initially, but later thrashed 'Aadujeevitham' is a film that narrated the tale of the disastrous life of a man. It's not just a cinema story. It's a real life story which is difficult to even just sit and listen to. The efforts taken by the actor for that role, the physical challenges he faced - Prithviraj is a commercial star. It's one of the most important roles he got in his career. The film didn't get noticed, AR Rahman's music did not get noticed, there is a new actor in the film and no other department's efforts were noticed at the awards. It surprised me also that there was not a single mention of the film. I am definitely upset about it.Q: Social media is praising you for expressing your opinions. You said that if you stay silent it will be an injustice to your juniors. What made you talk about it? A: Not just this issue, I have remained silent many times, thinking that I shouldn't hurt anyone or create an issue. This generation of actors like Rima Kallingal and others used to ask me, "if Urvashi doesn't speak, how will we get an opportunity to speak." People will say that an actor like Urvashi is remaining silent so what is the issue with these new-gen actors?. "This is the situation we are moving into", is what they told is already inequality existing. So they told me that if I don't raise my voice at least on some issues, there will come a situation where they won't be able to raise their voice at all. I felt it was right. What I am asking are my doubts. The jury members who went from here are the ones who should reply to it. I am not asking any government but the jury who went from the South. Did they have correct knowledge about these films and these actors? Did they speak for it? So for the next generation, I feel I need to raise my voice.Q: Have you decided to receive the award? Or are you waiting for clarity from the jury members?A: I am waiting for some clarity. I am not someone who will raise issue and questions to get attention. Never in my life have I wondered and got upset thinking about why I didn't get an award. I have never acted to win an award. I will not do it again either. But there should be an answer to is a protocol in everything which will give answers to our questions. In this country, it's normal in every sector, but my question is why it is not there is cinema. If I get low marks after writing an exam, I have the right to question that in this country. I am a student of cinema. So when my films or films of others are considered, and you find flaws in it, I have the right to ask about the basis for it. That's what I believe, and I need an answer for it.- EndsTrending Reel
Time of India
05-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
National Award snubs in Mollywood: Kalabhavan Mani fainted after Mohanlal was declared Best Actor; Thilakan's 'Perumthachan' loss
(Picture Courtesy: Facebook) As the issue regarding Blessy and Prithviraj Sukumaran's 'Aadujeevitham' National Award snub is heating up, it's worth recalling the times when Mollywood faced such issues in the past. In the year 2000, Kalabhavan Mani, the beloved actor-singer known for his earthy charm and powerful performance in 'Vasanthiyum Lakshmiyum Pinne Njaanum', was widely expected to bag the National Award for Best Actor. In Chalakudy, celebrations had already begun the night before, firecrackers lit, feasts prepared, and pride swelling among locals. Watch Popular Malayalam Song Music Video 'Va Va Thaamarappenne' From Movie 'Karumaadikkuttan' Starring Kalabhavan Mani And Nandini As reported by Mathrubhumi, when the name announced was Mohanlal for Vanaprastham, Kalabhavan Mani, watching the broadcast with his family, fainted on the spot. The joy turned into stunned silence. Though he received a Special Jury Mention, the sting of being overlooked was too much for him to bear. Director Vinayan later said in an interview that Kalabhavan Mani cried with 'a hundred times more pain than the happiness he felt the night before. ' This sequence was later shown in Vinayan's film 'Chalakkudikkaran Changathi'. Thilakan's legendary loss to Amitabh Bachchan A decade earlier, in 1990, another devastating moment hit Malayalam cinema. Thilakan, revered for his towering performance in 'Perumthachan', was the frontrunner for Best Actor. Critics, fans, and even jury insiders were sure of his win, especially with filmmaker Shaji N Karun on the panel. But the award went to Amitabh Bachchan for Agneepath. The backlash was swift. The loss was so personal that director Ajayan had to console the veteran actor by saying, 'If Kochan was betrayed by Thachan, then Bachchan would betray Thachan. ' (A dialogue from the film 'Perumthachan'.) Rivalry and regret: Mohanlal vs Mammootty The National Awards have also been a battleground between Kerala's two megastars. In 1989, Mammootty won for Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha, while Mohanlal's 'Kireedam' was left in the shadows, despite immense praise. The following year, the tables turned as Mohanlal won for 'Bharatham'. Reportedly Mammootty's 'Amaram' performance was deemed 'too glamourised.' And now, in 2025 'Aadujeevitham' got ignored.
