Oppam will not compete for the National Awards : Priyadarshan

We had earlier reported that ace filmmaker Priyadarshan will chair the jury for the 64th National Film Awards. The director has been in the industry for over three decades.

He has carved a niche for himself in the Indian film industry. The director has made over 90 movies in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. The government of India honoured him by giving the Padma Shri in 2012 for his contribution towards cinema. Some of his movies like Kalapani, Kaanchivaram and more recently Sila Samayangalil have won several accolades at the national and international level.

The director’s last film was Oppam with superstar Mohanlal in the lead. The movie was both critically and commercially acclaimed. It is currently the second highest grossing Malayalam movie of all time.

In a recent media interaction, Priyadarshan said that Oppam will not be competing at the National film awards. The director withdrew the movie from competing, after he was appointed as the chairman of the jury.

Mohanlal fans were hoping for the actor to bag the Kerala State Film Award for his performance in Oppam, however the jury honored Vinayakan for his performance in Kammattipadam.

In Oppam, Mohanlal played the role of a blind lift operator who is on the run to protect a girl from serial killer. Oppam’s Jayaraman was Mohanlal’s first full fledged role as a blind person in his three decade long career. He garnered widespread appreciation for his performance in the movie. Though his role in Oppam is a far cry from some of his own terrific performances, it is one of his best in recent times.