Veteran Malayalam actor Urvashi has strongly criticised the National Film Awards jury for awarding her Best Supporting Actress for Ullozhukku (2024) instead of Best Actress, a category she was vying for.
Speaking to Manorama News, the 56-year-old questioned the jury’s logic:
“Is there any standard scale for acting? Or is it that after a certain age, this is all you’ll get? This is not pension money to be silently accepted.”
Urvashi, who plays Leelamma in Ullozhukku alongside Parvathy Thiruvothu, said both actors were in the Best Actress race, making the “supporting” tag illogical. She demanded clarity on the selection criteria and urged Union Minister Suresh Gopi to investigate.
This isn’t the first time Urvashi has faced such categorisation. In 2006, she won Best Supporting Actress for Achuvinte Amma, despite playing the lead. She blamed “politics” in award decisions and stressed her commitment to meaningful cinema over lobbying.
The controversy comes amid criticism from Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan and Malayalam film industry voices over alleged snubs at the 71st National Film Awards, where The Kerala Story won a major award.
