The winners of the 53rd Kerala State Film Awards were announced by Saji Cherian, the minister of Kerala’s Cultural Affairs, on Friday. The jury was headed by Bengali writer and filmmaker Goutam Ghose, best known for films such as Padma Nadir Majhi (1992), Kaalbela (2009) and Moner Manush (2010)
While there were 140 submissions last year, the number has gone up to 154 this year, with Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam and Nna Thaan Case Kodu bagging the top prizes. Notably, Mammootty received his eighth award in the acting category for his performance in Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam.
Here’s the full list of winners:
Best Film: Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam
Second Best Film: Adithattu
Best Actor: Mammootty (Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam)
Best Actress: Vincy Aloshious (Rekha)
Best Director: Mahesh Narayanan (Ariyippu)
Special Jury Mention (Acting): Kunchacko Boban (Nna Thaan Case Kodu) and Alencier Ley Lopez (Appan)
Special Jury Mention (Direction): Biswajith S and Rareesh