Manjummel Boys and Mammootty Shine as Kerala State Film Awards 2025 Winners Announced
Chidambaram’s Manjummel Boys sweeps major honours; Mammootty wins Best Actor for Bramayugam, while Shamla Hamza and Vedan stir conversations across Kerala’s film circles.
Thrissur, November 3: The old hall was buzzing long before the mic came on. Camera lights flickered, journalists shouted over each other, someone near the aisle dropped a tripod. When Minister Saji Cherian finally started reading the names, half the crowd already knew what was coming. The 55th Kerala State Film Awards had their favourite, and it was Manjummel Boys all the way.
A Film That Wouldn’t Let Go
Director Chidambaram S. Poduval looked tired but smiling when his name came up for Best Director. His film, Manjummel Boys, also won Best Film, sweeping through several technical categories like sound, camera, and editing. The movie, about friendship and fear inside a dark cave, has been talked about for months. It made good money too, which always helps.
People inside the hall clapped long for this one, maybe because the win felt right. A jury headed by Prakash Raj had watched 128 films this year, and there had been chatter about how strong the competition was. Still, Manjummel Boys carried too much weight to ignore. “It’s our story, our people,” someone in the crowd said quietly, half to himself.
Mammootty Adds Another Feather
No surprise here. Mammootty won Best Actor (Male) for Bramayugam, playing a strange, shadowy figure who frightened and fascinated audiences. At 73, he seems unstoppable. Every time people think he’s peaked, he turns around with another transformation. This is his eighth time winning at the state level. “He treats every role like a new start,” one of his crew members said after the announcement.
Fresh Faces Step Up
The real cheer in the room came when Shamla Hamza was named Best Actor (Female) for Feminichi Fathima. She broke into tears, almost unable to walk to the stage. The film was a small independent piece that few saw in theatres, but her performance had clearly reached the jury. Many in the audience stood up for her.
Then came Premalu lighthearted, fun, made for the crowds picking up Best Popular Film. It was the movie everyone’s cousins had already watched twice. The win felt like a nod to the kind of cinema that keeps the box office alive.
The awards themselves were supposed to happen on October 31, but got pushed because of screenings and an Assembly session. That delay added to the buzz. Reporters were whispering predictions right until the minister took the stage.
Trouble Over Vedan’s Award
Every year has a flashpoint, and this time it was Vedan. The rapper-lyricist won Best Lyricist for his work in Manjummel Boys, and social media wasn’t having it. Within minutes, posts accusing the government of bias flooded X and Facebook. One line kept repeating: “Shame on the Kerala government.”
Some felt the award was political. Others said Vedan’s lyrics lacked depth compared to senior writers. A few filmmakers quietly agreed, calling it a “signal” rather than a merit win. But there was also support younger fans said his raw, unfiltered style finally brought the language of the streets into the awards list.
A senior critic summed it up later: “It’s the same argument every year who deserves, who doesn’t. But at least people still care.”
The Pulse of Malayalam Cinema
This year’s list tells its own story. Big stars like Mammootty can still dominate, but new names are pushing in from every corner independent films, smaller crews, regional stories without sponsors. The boundary between mainstream and experimental is fading fast.
Watching the crowd spill out of the hall, you could sense that mix of pride and exhaustion. Some were already calling editors, others smoking near the gates, a few hugging in disbelief. The arguments will go on all week, especially online. Yet for all the noise, these awards remind people why Malayalam cinema still matters it keeps finding life in ordinary stories.
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