THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Hollywood film Cast Away showed how the physical and mental transformation of actor Tom Hanks lifted the spirit of the whole film to unknown levels of artistic appreciation. While choosing Prithviraj for the Best Actor award, for the portrayal of Najeeb in Aadujeevitham, the jury led by Sudhir Mishra felt the same mode and temper.
Mammootty (Kathal--the Core), Vijayaraghavan (Pookkalam), Joju George (Iratta) and Anand Hareendran Nair (Anand Monalisa Waits for Death) were among the contenders for the best actor title in the state film awards 2023. However, the jury was unanimous in selecting Prithviraj’s performance as Najeeb above all else.
“These actors’ performances were also considered before arriving at a conclusion. However, the jury was astonished by the physical and mental effort taken by Prithviraj’s role in the Goat Life,” one of the jury members told TNIE.
“He has transformed into an unrecognisable character. The jury also took into consideration the effort taken by him as equal to the role played by Tom Hanks in Cast Away. There was also a risk element in the transformation of the character Prithviraj played. We could notice the painstaking acting, body language, and the effort he put into that character,” he said.
However, for the best actress award, there were only two contenders — Urvashi (Ullozhukku) and Beena R Chandran (Thadavu). According to the jury, the characters performed by these two actors, though not comparable, were unforgettable.
“Urvashi was at her best and through brilliant acting showed the complex relation of a mother, who lost a son, towards the daughter-in-law. Beena’s character was equally strong and showed the strength of a woman who was forced to go through different ordeals,” said a jury member.
Meanwhile, jury chairman Sudhir Mishra termed the performances of Prithviraj, Urvashi and Beena brilliant.
Compared to earlier occasion, there was stiff competition for all the awards. Selecting the best director was also a challenge for the jury. The jury took into consideration the challenges in making the film Aadujeevitham.
According to the jury, it was the firm resolve and enthusiasm of director Blessy that enabled the shooting to be restarted. The painstaking efforts and the brilliance in presenting the story and characters were also factored in. While this year’s award selection has passed off without controversy, the jury’s ‘bold’ decision in not picking A R Rahman for the best music composer might trigger tremors in the coming days. Instead, the jury named Justin Varghese (film - Chaver; song - Chenthamara Poovin) as the best music composer. At the same time, the decision to select veteran music composer Vidhyadharan Master, at the age of 71, as the best playback singer has earned applause.
Newcomers shine
In a refreshing change, 22 of the 38 films that made the final list for state awards consideration were directed by newcomers.
Of the 160 films submitted, the two subcommittees of the primary jury saw 80 films each and shortlisted 35 films. Later, the final jury recalled three more.
The jury has also submitted four recommendations: Reduce the number of primary jury members to three from four or increase it to five, screen films selected for the awards outside the state, give special encouragement to independent films which are produced on a low budget, and organise script lab and mentoring for screenplay writing.