Soon after the announcement of the Kerala State Film Awards this year, the winners are busy replying to texts, answering calls and giving interviews. Regardless, all of them express their genuine excitement at bagging the prestigious award.
Actor Biju Menon, who won his first-ever Best Actor award this time through the film 'Aarkkariyam,' says, “I am very happy. I had put in a lot of effort into it, and it's my first such award. Initially, I had my doubts about playing this character, and I thought I would be essaying the role played by Sharafudheen. That's when the director Sanu John Varghese said that he wants me to play the father's role. It was a challenging part, but I'm happy now that I decided to do it.”
Composer Hesham Abdul Wahab also won his first state award this year, through his songs for Vineeth Sreenivasan's 'Hridayam.' “Ever since 'Hridayam,' I have been receiving a lot of projects and I have been working a lot too. So, receiving such an award is a good recognition. I am grateful to all those who supported me, especially my wife,” says an elated Hesham. 'Hridayam' director Vineeth credits team effort for the recognition his movie has received. “I'm greatly happy and the award is quite encouraging. There were many people who waited for two years to ensure this film become a reality,” he said.
Best Director award winner Dileesh Pothen confesses that his film Joji would not have happened if not for the COVID season. He says, “I am very happy the film received four awards. I genuinely feel that all the awards are well-deserved. I don't think 'Joji' would have materialised, if not for COVID. The circumstances it created brought out the creativity in me.”
For singer Sithara, this is the third time the award is coming her way, through the song 'Paalnilaavin Poikayil' of 'Kaanekkaane.' “We don't get to sing such melodious solo female tracks often. I hope this award will make the song reach more people in the coming days,” says the singer.
B K Harinarayanan, who won the Best Lyricist award, has also won the title quite a few times, before. Regardless, he says, “Every award is special. Though I won the award, it is meant for every music composer in the Malayalam film industry. There is a healthy competition among us and we are a united force. Songs are the mirrors of the times we live in. It's nice that film songs are gaining traction again, after a brief lull.”
