Mollywood steals the limelight at the 60th National Film Awards

It’s no secret that Malayalam films have had a dominating presence over the years at the National Film Awards, but one category that is often underrated is the Indira Gandhi Award for Best First Film of a Director, which was given this year to Siddharth Siva for '101 Chodyangal'.
Since its inception in 1980, Mollywood filmmakers have laid claim to the award seven times, making it second only to Hindi films, which have won 11 times.A consensus from the previous winners in Malayalam is that the award makes the filmmaker more responsible and gives them the confidence to branch out and pursue varied subjects for the next ventures. In Bollywood, the previous winners, Pradeep Sarkar and Sudhir Mishra, have done exactly that and created a niche for themselves. However, in Mollywood, the case has been different as none of the directors hit it big post the huge win but have experimented more, thanks to the award. Director Madhu Kaithapram, who won the award for his debut movie Ekantham, is of the opinion that Malayalis are an equally capable lot.
“We have that knack to bring out the best in what we do and make sure it doesn’t go unnoticed. The stories we choose for our films — be it by debutants or veterans — have an intellectual layer to them, which adds more depth to the movie. I have often found that most Malayali filmmakers delve deep to pick subjects that cross boundaries and stories that will be relevant at all times. This is exactly what is happening in other industries now,” he says.
R Sarath, who won the award for his film Sayahnam in 2000, had gone on to do various experimental projects that received rave reviews at the festival circuits around the world. He also helmed an Indo-Chinese production The Desire: A Journey of a Woman. “It’s encouraging to win such a prestigious award for your debut movie itself but what’s important is to keep that spirit going in your next ventures. Personally, it gave me confidence to take up challenging projects and has also been a boon in finding funds for international co-productions, as they look at the honours that you have won at the state and national level for your very first film,” says Sarath.
However, the award can also be a double-edged sword, he says. “It’s both a pleasure and a pain. I’ve been termed as an award-winning director right from my first film and most of my films haven’t had theatre releases. It’s also been difficult to find producers. But it’s a responsibility because you have to take the pain and effort to do good films,” says Sarath.
One more stellar win for director Ranjith
Despite all the hype and hoopla surrounding all other Malayalam movies, director Ranjith added another National Film Award to his cabinet. With Spirit winning the National Award for Best Film on other Social Issues, the director has taken his tally to three in the last five years, the previous wins being for Thirakkadha in 2008 and Indian Rupee last year.
Incidentally, the director’s movies has always had a strong presence at the National Awards with both Palerimanikyam: Oru Paathirakolapatha-kinte Kadha and Pranchiyettan and The Saint making it to the final rounds of respective categories.
This makes the Mollywood director arguably the most consistent filmmaker, with him insisting on making more movies that appeal to both the audience and the critics alike, even as keeps the movie budgets minimal. Ranjith is already a role model for many aspiring filmmakers.
Kalpana humbled by national glory
She is one actress in Malayalam cinema who has no match for when in comes to comic timing. Though, it is when Kalpana walked a different path — as Raziya Beevi in Babu Thiruvalla’s Thanichalla Njaan — that the biggest accolade yet in her three-decade-long career came her way. The Best Supporting Actress award she won at the National Awards this year is arguably Mollywood’s saving grace in the Best Actor category, where Lal and Thilakan ended up with special mentions for their performances in Ozhimuri and Ustad Hotel respectively.
Said to be a film based on a real-life incident, Thanichalla Njaan plots the bond between Razia Beevi, who is the member of a village panchayat, and an 85-year-old Namboodiri woman (played by KPAC Lalitha) who she saves from an accident on a railway track. Kalpana, who has close to 150 films in her career across Malayalam and Tamil, was quoted as saying, “I’ve mostly dabbled with comedy in my career and probably this is the reason why I’ve never been considered for an award. However, when an award finally came my way, it’s something as big as the National Award and I’m really happy with it.”