The recently held ceremony at Thrissur has raised quite an uproar. The 55th Annual Kerala State Film Awards has brought to light some of the superhit movies and actors in the Malayalam cinema. The movies which were of 2024 have been nominated in the list. A total of 128 films have shared their stories for the win out of which only 26 were taken forward by the jury. The jury members were seven people led by Prakash Raj.
The ceremony highlighted both the emerging stars and established actors with their work and accomplishments. The one standing out point here was “Manjummel Boys“, the film of an ensemble cast of both new and old from the industry. Below is the complete list of winners and the category in which they have shined through.
Major Awards and Highlights
Best Film: Manjummel Boys – The film was not only awarded with top honor but also got recognition for its storytelling and technical excellence. The director Chidambaram S Poduval also won best director along with other awards for Best Cinematography, lyricist, production Design, sound design. After all the awards in the film’s grip it stood out as the most awarded film of the year.
Best Actor (Male): Mammootty has received his seventh Best Actor Award this year for his performance in ‘Bramayugam’. This marks a great victory for him and the industry as it shows the zeal of the veteran actor.
Best Actor (Female): Shamla Hamza made the headlines as being a debutante with her bold performance won Best Actress for her role in Feminichi Fathima. This award for the actress is a stepping stone for all the coming successes on her way. The film also won the Best Second Film.
Best Director: Chidambaram S Poduval was honored for Manjummel Boys, marking a significant achievement in his appreciated directing career.
Special Mentions and Jury Awards
For those who might not be exactly aware, a Jury Awards are those awards which are not explicitly a part of evaluation but rather a recognition by the chosen jury members. Some of the awards for the roles and others were those films whom Jury deemed for a special mention. Actor and film producer Tovino Thomas was awarded for his role for making a significant highlight in the film ARM.
Asif Ali was also awarded for his role in Kishkindha Kaandam. Darshana Rajendran was well praised and awarded for her performance in Paradise. The Jury additionally recognized The film Paradise as Best Film (Special Mention). And Prasanna Vithanage won the Best Story award for the same film.
Best Character Artist (Female): Lijomol Jose won best character artist for Nadanna Sambhavam.
Best Character Artist (Male): Soubin Shahir (Manjummel Boys) and Sidharth Bharathan (Bramayugam) marked their names in this year’s ceremony by winning the best character artists in male category.
Special Jury Award for Women/Transgender: Payal Kapadia was honored for her work in All We Imagine As Light, highlighting the industry’s commitment to inclusivity.
Full list of Kerala State Film Awards 2025 winners
| Category | Winner | Film |
|---|---|---|
| Best Film | Manjummel Boys | Manjummel Boys |
| Best Actor (Male) | Mammootty | Bramayugam |
| Best Actor (Female) | Shamla Hamza | Feminichi Fathima |
| Best Director | Chidambaram S. Poduval | Manjummel Boys |
| Best Character Artist (Female) | Lijomol Jose | Nadanna Sambhavam |
| Best Character Artist (Male) | Soubin Shahir & Sidharth Bharathan | Manjummel Boys / Bramayugam |
| Best Second Film | Feminichi Fathima | Feminichi Fathima |
| Best Debut Director | Fasil Muhammed | Feminichi Fathima |
| Best Popular Film | Premalu | Premalu |
| Special Jury Award – Women/Trans | Payal Kapadia | All We Imagine As Light |
| Best Original Screenplay | Chidambaram S. Poduval | Manjummel Boys |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Lajo Jose & Amal Neerad | Bougainvillea |
| Best Music Director | Sushin Shyam | Bougainvillea |
| Best Background Score | Christo Xavier | Bramayugam |
| Best Lyricist | Vedan | “Kuthanthram” (Manjummel Boys) |
| Best Playback Singer (Female) | Zeba Tommy | “Aarorum” (Am Ah) |
| Best Playback Singer (Male) | KS Harisankar | “Kiliye” (ARM) |
| Best Editor | Sooraj ES | Kishkindha Kaandam |
| Best Cinematography | Shyju Khalid | Manjummel Boys |
| Best Production Design | Ajayan Chalissery | Manjummel Boys |
| Best VFX | Jithin Laal, Albert Thomas, Anuradha Mukherjee & Salim Lahir | ARM |
| Best Choreography | Sumesh Sundar & Jishnudas MV | Bougainvillea |
| Best Costume | Sameera Saneesh | Rekhachithram / Bougainvillea |
| Best Makeup Artist | Ronex Xavier | Bougainvillea / Bramayugam |
| Best Processing Lab/Colorist | Srik Varier | Manjummel Boys / Bougainvillea |
| Best Sync Sound | Ajayan Adat | Pani |
| Best Sound Design | Shijin Melvin Hutton & Abhishek Nair | Manjummel Boys |
| Best Sound Mixing | Fazal A. Backer & Shijin Melvin Hutton | Manjummel Boys |
| Best Dubbing Artist (Female) | Sayonara Philip | Barroz |
| Best Dubbing Artist (Male) | Bhasi Vaikom | Barroz |
| Best Book on Cinema | Penpattu Thaaraal – Malayala Cinemapattukalile Pennaavishkaranangal by C.S. Meenakshi | – |
| Best Article on Cinema | Maayunna Nalukettukalum – Malayalam Cinemayum Maarunna Bhaavukathvngalum by Valsan Vathussery | – |
| Special Jury Award for Article on Cinema | Samyathinte Vistheernam by Noufal Mariyam Blathoor | – |
Also read: Kerala State Film Awards 2024: Manjummel Boys Bags 9 Awards – Check Full Winners List
Significance of The Ceremony
The 2024 Kerala State Film Awards has echoed its celebration throughout the nation. From budding actors to established ones who never seem to disappoint. This ceremony has brought to light some extraordinary talents like that of Shamla Hamza and Fasil Muhammed.
These debut actors have not just been awarded but have been recognised in the industry as some of the top talents. The awards also celebrated technical excellence with multiple honors going to various films.
Concluding Thoughts
This award ceremony has once more provided a glimpse of how diverse Malayalam Cinema is. The number of emerging actors and their talents has spoken for themselves. Though the concluding awardees were few in numbers, all the films which were submitted had some or other qualities unique in them. And it is a known reality that the best amongst the rest may win.
Don’t fret if your favorite movie or actor wasn’t there in the list, we still have the next award season on the way. The next ceremony may bring even more greater talent with extraordinary vision. For now, let us celebrate the talent for they deserve a loud applause and praise for their marvellous performances and direction.
Written by Kenbi Riba