The award once felt like a distant dream: Amrutha Krishnakumar on Moham's double win at Moscow Film Festival

Malayalam film Moham, directed by Fazil Razak, has scored a double win at the 48th Moscow International Film Festival, taking home the Golden Saint George for Best Film and the Silver Saint George for Best Actress. Actress Amrutha Krishnakumar won the acting honour for her performance as the film’s central character, Amala.Speaking to us, the director expresses delight at the recognition. “It’s truly a wonderful achievement and we’re very happy. Not just us — even those who watched the film here (at the film festival) were thrilled about the win. During the afterparty, too, we received a lot of feedback about how emotionally the film connected with them. Some even called it ‘Absolute cinema’,” he says.Earlier this week, during the film’s screening at the festival, Fazil had admitted the team was anxious about the audience’s response. “We were nervous about how the film would be received, but watching it with the audience finally put us at ease,” he had said.Moham centres on Amala, a woman dealing with psychological struggles. The story follows how a young man named Shaanu manipulates her for his own motives. “Alongside that, we explore themes such as toxic relationships, mental health and human emotions. My aim was to make the audience feel what Amala feels,” the director explains. “Interestingly, the character of Amala first began as a simple idea about a girl who loves motorcycles,” he shares.Amrutha Krishnakumar says the Best Actress win still feels surreal. “I was already thrilled that our film had entered an international festival. The trophy once felt like a distant dream, so seeing it become reality is very special,” she says. The actress also contributed to the film’s writing process and spent considerable time developing the character. “While working on Amala, I had the freedom to explore her deeply. I observed people with similar behavioural patterns and tried to understand their experiences better,” she explains.During their research, the team also came across medical references that informed the character’s portrayal. “We learned that clusters of such symptoms are sometimes described as catatonia and can be associated with certain behavioural conditions. Understanding these traits helped us shape Amala’s emotional world,” she adds.