52nd Kerala State Film Awards Winners List: Biju Menon, Joju George Share Best Actor Award

The winners of 52nd Kerala State Film Awards have been finally revealed by Minister of Culture, Saji Cherian. The Best Actor award is shared by actors Joju George and Biju Menon. George bagged the prize for his roles in ‘Madhuram’, ‘Thuramukham’, ‘Freedom Fight’ and ‘Nayattu’. On the other hand, Menon received it for his portrayal of old man in ‘Aakkariyam’. 

Jury head, Saeed Akhtar Mirza said that it was tough selecting the greatest actor, according to Asianet news. According to Mirza, Menon’s acting was very subtle and George’s acting in ‘Nayattu’ was exuberant and vulnerable. 

George also received a special jury mention for his role in ‘Joseph’ at the National Film Awards in 2019. Menon is a two time winner of the Kerala State Film Award for second best actor. As for 2022, 142 films entered in different categories for the awards. Because of the pandemic, many Malayalam films got produced and directly released on OTT platforms, and both digital and theatrical releases were being considered for the awards. 

Finally, 29 films made it to the final phase, where a panel led by Bollywood filmmaker Mirza did the tough job of selection. Check out the list of winners below:

Best Film – Aavasa Vyuham
Second Best Film – Nishiddho and Chavittu

Best Actor – Biju Menon for Aarkkariyam and Joju George for Madhuram, Freedom Fight, Thuramukham and Naayaattu
Best Actress – Revathy, Bhoothakaalam
Best Director – Dileesh Pothan, Joji

Best Character Actor – Sumesh Moor for Kala
Best Character Actress – Unnimaya Prasad for Joji

Best Film with Popular Appeal and Aesthetic Value – Hridhyam
Best Children’s Film – Kaadakalam
Best Story Writer – Shahi Kabeer for Nayattu

Best Screenplay Writer – Krishand RK for Avasavyuham
Best Screenplay (Original) – Naayaattu, Sreekumaran Thampi
Best Screenplay (Adapted) – Joji, Syam Pushkaran

Best Child Artist (Male) – Master Adithyan for Niraye Thathakalulla Maram
Best Child Artist (Female) – Sneha Anu for Thala

Best Music Director (Songs) – Hesham Abdul Wahab for Hridayam
Best Male Singer – Pradeep Kumar, Minnal Murali
Best Female Singer – Sithara Krishnakumar, Kaanekkaane
Best Music Director (Background Score) – Joji, Justin Varghese
Best Lyricist – B K Harinarayanan, Kaadakalam

Best Film Editor – Mahesh Narayanan and Rajesh Rajendran for Naayaattu
Best Cinematographer – Madhu Neelakandan for Churuli

Best Sound Design – Renganath Ravee for Churli
Best Sound Mixing – Justin Jose, Minnal Murali
Best Sync Sound – Arun Ashok and Sonu K P for Chavittu

Best Choreography – Arun Lal for Chavittu
Best Dubbing Artist (Female) – Devi S
Best Makeup Artist – Ranjith Ambady for Aarkkariyam
Best Costume Designer – Melwy J for Minnal Murali
Best Art Director – A V Gokuldas for Thuramukham
Best Visual Effects – Andrew D’crus for Minnal Murali
Best Colorist – Liju Prabhakar for Churuli
Special Jury mention – Jeo Baby for Freedom Fight