Urvashi on National Awards Selection Process: Could not accept it silently like pension
Veteran actor Urvashi questioned the criteria used for the National Film Awards and called for transparency from the Center and the state in the award decisions. He won the Best Supporting Actor for Malayalam Film, Ulojuku.
In short
- Urvashi expressed dissatisfaction with the National Film Award Jury
- He demanded transparency in the award selection criteria
- The actor shared the best supporting actress with Janaki Bodiwala
Veteran actor Urvashi, who has recently shared the Best Supporting Actress Award for her role in the film ‘Ulojuku’, has expressed dissatisfaction with the process of deciding the National Film Award Jury. Talking openly to a regional channel, Urvashi emphasized the need for transparency and clarity about the criteria used to determine the prize recipients, indicating stability in the selection process and lack of clear standards.
Urvashi, in an interview Manorama NewsQuestioning the logic behind the distribution of the awards, he said, “It is not a pension money to be accepted quietly,” and asked, “How are these decisions are made? Is the criteria followed?” He emphasized the importance of an award, on which it could be proud rather than achieving the selection criteria.
Despite the controversy, Urvashi said that she had no regrets about her career options, saying, “I am not sad about it. I was chosen for a good film, it did well, and the audience accepted it.” However, she is eager about the base on which the awards are prescribed, highlighting the requirement of a transparent and accountable system.
Urvashi questioned the selection process, asking, “But I am surprised – on what basis a national award is given? Is there a measuring measuring scale for it? Who decides what is the qualification as the best actor or best actress to choose the best actor or the best actress? The center and the state should be transparent about it. What is the responsibility of telling them to explain what is taken in these awards.”
She also recalled experiences with similar issues, remembering a time when she received a Best Supporting Actress Award for her role in ‘Achuvinte Amma’, a decision openly criticized the late actress Saroja Devi. Urvashi said, “I never cance or advocate, I just did meaningful cinema,” underlining her commitment to her craft rather than searching for praise.
Urvashi’s comments are part of a large discourse on the criteria of acting awards: “Is there any standard measure for acting? Or that after a certain age, you will get it all?”
The awards this year also saw Shah Rukh Khan and Vikrant Massey sharing the best actor awards, while Rani Mukherjee was named Best Actress. Urvashi and Janaki Bodiwala shared the Best Supporting Actress Award for ‘Ulojuku’ and ‘Vash’ respectively, reflecting a recurring pattern of shared beliefs that Urvashi has questioned.
Urvashi appealed to the Minister of State for Culture and actor Suresh Gopi to examine the process and advocate the place of Malayalam cinema in national honors.
