THRISSUR: Veteran actor Mammootty won the Best Actor award for his performance as Koduman Potti in Bramayugam, while Shamla Hamza was adjudged Best Actress for her role in Feminichi Fathima at the Kerala State Film Awards 2024.

Cultural Affairs Minister Saji Cherian announced the winners in Thrissur on Monday, with the blockbuster Manjummel Boys declared Best Film of the Year.

Jury chair Prakash Raj noted that while the Malayalam film industry continues to be appreciated for its quality, only about 10% of the films evaluated were truly remarkable. He urged the state government to form a curator committee to ensure quality in government-funded films.

“It’s taxpayers’ money, and people have the right to expect good-quality films,” he said.

Minister Saji Cherian expressed disappointment over the lack of good children’s films, observing that simply casting actors as parents and children does not make a film suitable for the category.

“Children are part of our evolution, and society should understand their thoughts and feelings,” he said.

Consequently, the award committee did not announce any awards in the children’s film category this year.

Kerala State Film Awards 2024 – Winners List

Best Film: Manjummel Boys (Directed by Chidambaram)

Second Best Film: Feminichi Fathima (Directed by Fazil Muhammed)

Best Director: Chidambaram (Manjummel Boys)

Best Actor: Mammootty (Bramayugam)

Best Actress: Shamla Hamza (Feminichi Fathima)

Best Character Role (Male): Soubin Shahir (Manjummel Boys), Sidharth Bharathan (Bramayugam)

Best Character Role (Female): Lijomol Jose (Nadanna Sambhavam)

Best Storywriter: Prasanna Vithanage (Paradise)