"Urvashi, a well-known actor in Malayalam films, criticizes the National Film Awards jury, asserting that the award she received for Best Supporting Actress was not her pension money."
Veteran Actress Urvashi Questions National Film Awards Criteria and Transparency
In a recent turn of events, Malayalam veteran actress Urvashi has voiced her concerns about the National Film Awards, criticizing the jury's decision-making process and the categorization of roles.
Urvashi, who won the Best Supporting Actress award for her role in the film Ullozhukku, has disputed the categorization of her role as supporting rather than lead. She has questioned the criteria used to categorize roles and demanded transparency in the award selection process.
The actress, known for her strong performances, expressed dissatisfaction over the snub of Prithviraj Sukumaran's film Aadujeevitham, implying that the decision might have been politically influenced due to controversy around the film Empuraan. She also raised concerns about the absence of a shared Best Actress award this year and the sidelining of performances, such as actor Vijayaraghavan's, in previous years.
Urvashi highlighted instances of deserving performances being overlooked or reclassified into supporting categories, which she believes reflects bias or lack of transparency. She emphasized that awards are not just about recognition but also about fairness and openness for future generations of artists.
In Ullozhukku, Urvashi plays the mother-in-law to Parvathy, who portrays a young widow waiting for floodwaters to recede for a funeral. The film, directed by Christo Tomy in his feature directorial debut, was released in cinemas on June 21, 2024, and received widespread critical acclaim. It is now streaming on Amazon Prime India.
Urvashi, a two-time National Award winner for Best Supporting Actress, has focused on making meaningful cinema rather than lobbying for awards. Her first National Award was for the 2005 Malayalam film Achuvinte Amma.
The 71st National Film Awards were announced on August 1, 2025, but Urvashi expressed her dissatisfaction with the award for Best Supporting Actress for Ullozhukku. The film went on to win the National Film Award for Best Malayalam Film.
Despite the controversy, Ullozhukku has been a commercial success at the box office. Alongside Urvashi and Parvathy, Arjun Radhakrishnan, Alencier Ley Lopez, Prashanth Murali, and Jaya Kurup also star in the film.
As the debate about fairness, transparency, and politicization in India’s National Film Awards continues, Urvashi's voice adds to the ongoing conversation, calling for reforms in how awards are judged and communicated.
- Urvashi, a leading figure in both Indian cinema and Bollywood's pop-culture, has criticized the criteria and transparency of the National Film Awards, questioning the categorization of roles and expressing dissatisfaction over the snub of Prithviraj Sukumaran's film.
- Echoing concerns about the fairness and transparency of the awards, Urvashi pointed out instances where deserving performances, such as Vijayaraghavan's, have been sidelined or reclassified, and emphasized the importance of awards not just for recognition, but also for fostering openness for future generations of artists in India's entertainment industry.
- Amidst the controversy surrounding the 71st National Film Awards, Urvashi's voice adds to the ongoing discourse, calling for meaningful reforms in how awards are judged and communicated, with the aim of achieving a fair and transparent film award system in India's diverse Bollywood and cricket cultures.
