64th National Film Awards; Jury chairman Priyadarshan reveals why Mohanlal was honoured with the Special Jury award

The 64th National Film Awards were announced today. Akshay Kumar won the award for Best Actor for his work in Rustom while Malayali actress Surabhi Lakshmi was awarded as the best actress for Minnaminungu

Malayalam cinema won seven awards including the best actress award. Mohanlal won the Special Jury award for his performance in Janatha Garage, Pulimurugan and Munthirivallikal Thalirkkumbol.

Mohanlal’s award came in as a big surprise because most didn’t expect him to win an award. Jury chairman Priyadarshan, after announcing the winners talked to the media and revealed why Mohanlal was honoured with the award.

He said, “Unlike last time, there was a strong contention from regional movies this year. Last year, Bollywood movies had won most of the awards. Only Malayalam from the South Indian industry gave a tight competition to Bengali and Marathi movies. I feel extremely proud to be a Malayali.”

Mohanlal was among the last three names for the best actor. The actor won the award taking into account his performance both in Telugu and Malayalam. There is only one special jury award in this category and Mohanlal has won this award for the second time after Kireedam (1989).

Vinayakan was also a strong contender in the supporting actor category. But Manoj Joshi won more votes for his performance in Dashkriya.