As the issue regarding Blessy and Prithviraj Sukumaran’s ‘Aadujeevitham’ National Award snub is heating up, it’s worth recalling the times when Mollywood faced such issues in the past. In the year 2000, Kalabhavan Mani, the beloved actor-singer known for his earthy charm and powerful performance in ‘Vasanthiyum Lakshmiyum Pinne Njaanum’, was widely expected to bag the National Award for Best Actor. In Chalakudy, celebrations had already begun the night before, firecrackers lit, feasts prepared, and pride swelling among locals.
As reported by Mathrubhumi, when the name announced was Mohanlal for Vanaprastham, Kalabhavan Mani, watching the broadcast with his family, fainted on the spot. The joy turned into stunned silence. Though he received a Special Jury Mention, the sting of being overlooked was too much for him to bear. Director Vinayan later said in an interview that Kalabhavan Mani cried with “a hundred times more pain than the happiness he felt the night before.” This sequence was later shown in Vinayan’s film ‘Chalakkudikkaran Changathi’.
Thilakan’s legendary loss to Amitabh Bachchan
A decade earlier, in 1990, another devastating moment hit Malayalam cinema. Thilakan, revered for his towering performance in ‘Perumthachan’, was the frontrunner for Best Actor. Critics, fans, and even jury insiders were sure of his win, especially with filmmaker Shaji N Karun on the panel. But the award went to Amitabh Bachchan for Agneepath. The backlash was swift. The loss was so personal that director Ajayan had to console the veteran actor by saying, “If Kochan was betrayed by Thachan, then Bachchan would betray Thachan.” (A dialogue from the film ‘Perumthachan’.)
Rivalry and regret: Mohanlal vs Mammootty
The National Awards have also been a battleground between Kerala’s two megastars. In 1989, Mammootty won for Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha, while Mohanlal’s ‘Kireedam’ was left in the shadows, despite immense praise.The following year, the tables turned as Mohanlal won for ‘Bharatham’. Reportedly Mammootty’s ‘Amaram’ performance was deemed “too glamourised.”And now, in 2025 ‘Aadujeevitham’ got ignored.