Controversy has arisen over the decision of not giving any award in the children’s category at the 55th Kerala State Film Awards. Child actor Devanand Jibin has directly targeted jury head Prakash Raj for this decision. The jury said that the films submitted did not reflect the children’s perspective.
In his Instagram post, 12-year-old Devanand, who has worked in films like ‘Malikappuram’ and ‘Nemar’, accused the jury of ignoring the performances of child actors in the Malayalam film industry.
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Child artist’s sharp reaction
Expressing his displeasure on social media, Devanand Jibin wrote, ‘Close your eyes for the children, but do not say that there is darkness everywhere. The jury has turned a blind eye to the coming generation with the announcement of the 2024 Malayalam Film Awards. Many children have done commendable work in films like Stannarthi Sreekuttan, Gu, Phoenix and ARM.
He also objected to the jury’s statement that more children’s films should be made. Devanand said that if two children were given the award, it would have become a source of inspiration for many children.
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Explanation of Jury Head and Culture Minister
Jury head Prakash Raj clarified that he did not give the awards for Best Children’s Film and Best Child Artist because he did not see any good children’s film or efforts in that direction. He requested film makers to consider making children’s films. This is the second consecutive year that a children’s film has not received an award.
As the controversy escalated, Kerala Culture Minister Saji Cherian said the awards were announced ‘without any complaint’. He said, ‘The jury did not find any film worthy of the award and they regret it. We should take this as a challenge and improve… Just as we promote SC/ST film makers and women, we will also support children’s creative films.
In this award ceremony, Mammootty was chosen the best actor and Shamla Hamza was chosen the best actress, while ‘Manjummel Boys’ won the best film award.