'This is not pension money to be taken without question, on what basis were award winners chosen? Suresh Gopi must investigate and clarify this'; Urvashi lashes out

CHENNAI: Actress Urvashi has come down heavily on the National Film Awards jury, questioning the criteria behind the selection of winners. She questioned why the Best Actress award was not shared and what criteria were used to select Vijayaraghavan as Best Supporting Actor and herself as Best Supporting Actress. “We cannot accept this attitude of ‘we will do what we feel like, and you just take it and go.’ If things continue like this, many deserving people will miss out. This is not pension money to be taken happily without question,” Urvashi said in an interview given to a media outlet.

Urvashi’s words:

“The jury should clarify the criteria used to evaluate Shah Rukh Khan’s performance and Vijayaraghavan’s acting. On what basis was the distinction made? How is one considered a supporting actor and another the best actor? The days when people would blindly accept whatever was given are over. We all act after paying our taxes, not by simply roaming around and performing. Union Minister Suresh Gopi should investigate and clarify this.

The film Aadujeevitham was ignored completely. Why did our language not receive the recognition it deserved? My film J Baby was also submitted for Best Actress consideration, did the jury even watch it? Shouldn’t these questions be raised?

This is not just an issue for Malayalam cinema; many people from Tamil cinema also called me about it. More will speak up after me. If they don’t clarify what happened in my case, what trust will future actors have? As Rima Kallingal once told me, ‘If this is the situation for Urvashi Chechi, what about the rest of us?’ I’m not blaming anyone; I just want to know the truth before accepting the award.”

Urvashi won the National Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Leelamma in Ullozhukku, directed by Christo Tomy. The film also won the award for the Best Malayalam Film. This is not the first time Urvashi has been relegated to the Supporting Actress category at the National Awards. In 2006, her performance in Achuvinte Amma also earned her the Supporting Actress award. At that time, jury member B. Saroja Devi had argued that Urvashi deserved Best Actress, but other jury members maintained that she was not the female lead in the film. Saroja Devi later personally shared this information with Urvashi.