It is award time in Kerala!

All dailies have news about some award ceremony or the other. There are the literary awards, socio-cultural activity awards, children's gallantry awards, journalists awards, veterans awards...and the list goes on.

It is cine award season now. The rule of the game is that one organization awaits the other to announce its awards. But all these organizations want to conclude their award ceremony before the State Government announces its list.

There are big business houses and small time organizations, non-existent and real ones among these organizations. Awards consist of real cash and sometimes-empty envelopes are handed over to the winners. There are duly appointed juries and gallop polls to decide the award winners.

TV channels and publishing houses have constituted film awards and business houses sponsor these awards. The biggest is 'Asianet-Lux' cine awards with higher prize money. Followed by the 'Mathrubhumi-Medimix' award with a fairly good amount as prize money. Asianet makes it a big event for they get a good stage show for their channel. Mathrubhumi-Medimix award function is also big affair as it is staged in an open-air auditorium with free admission to general public.

This year the first agency to come out with the award is National Film Academy in Trivandrum.

Arya award

The prestigious 'Arya' award constituted in the name of late Ramu Kariat director of 'Chemmeen' announced this week went to director Kamal.

Critics award

Critics Association (Trivandrum) has announced its Silver Jubilee Awards for best films and artists for the year 2001.
P R S Pillai, former Chairman of Kerala State Film Development Corporation, found this organisation, which is popular for its promotion of good films
The film critics' association awards are fairly a big affair since it covers a vast category. It gives away 40 and odd awards every year.

The best picture award this year was shared by Shesham  and Meghamalhar . Both films were co produced by Asianet with partners Bloomer maze pictures (former film) and Mathrubhumi (later).
T K Rajeev Kumar was judged the best director for Shesham  and Kamal special award.

The second best picture was Kannaki  directed by Jayaraj in which Nandita Das is in the lead role. Shesham  and Kannaki  are yet to be released, while Meghamalhar  had a good box office run in theatres in upper (north) half of Kerala. Jayaraj got a special award.
Ravanaprabhu  was declared as the popular film by the jury.

The best actor and actress awards went to Jayaram and Githu Mohandas for their performance in Shesham , (See Indiainfo archives movies-Malayalam for information on this film).
The other awards

Actor second best - Rajan P Dev - Karumaadikkuttan 
Actress second best - Bindu Panikkar - Sutradharan 
Child artist - Sree Ram - Mookkuthi 
Story - Suresh Poduval -Achaneyaanenikkishtam 
Script - Kamal -Meghamalhar 
Lyrics - O N V Kurup Meghamalhar 
Music - Ramesh Narayan - Meghamalhar 
Playback - M G Sreekumar - Salabham & Chandanamani
Playback - Sujatha Mohan - Perariyam & Thile Ithile 
Camera M J Radhakrishnan Kannaki & Theertahadanam 
Editing - Beena Paul - Meghamalhar 
Art - Nemom Pushparaj - Kannaki & Jeevan Moshay 
Children's film - Pularvettam  by Harikumar
Short film - Rhythm of symbols  by P K Sreenivasan
New artist - Navya Nair - Ishtam 
New director - T N Gopakumar - Jeevan Moshay 
New director - Kannan - Theertahadanam 
Book Asian cinema - Navadarsanam  by Dr Aravindan
Best article on film to A Chandrasekhar in, Chitrbhumi 

Special awards

Contribution to Malayalam cinema:
Chalchitraratnam  to Balachandra Menon
Chalachitraprathibha  to Sreekumaran Thampi, S Janaki, and KPAC Sunny