Malayalam actress Urvashi demands answers from jury after National Award win: ‘Who decides what counts as the best performance?’

Veteran actress Urvashi may have walked away with the Best Supporting Actress honour at the 71st National Film Awards for her powerful role in Ullozhukku, but she’s not staying quiet about the way the winners were chosen. While most recipients celebrated in silence, Urvashi is making headlines for openly challenging the system and demanding transparency in how these national honours are decided — especially when it comes to lead acting categories.

Speaking to Manorama News, Urvashi questioned whether there’s a standard scale for acting or if, after a certain age, actors are simply expected to accept whatever category is offered to them. Though she expressed happiness about being selected for a meaningful film that resonated with audiences, she couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at the jury’s decision-making.

She pointedly asked what exactly qualifies as the “best performance” and who gets to decide that. According to her, the Centre and State have a responsibility to make the selection process transparent. In her words, this isn’t pension money to be quietly accepted — an award should be something the artist can be proud of, not one that feels arbitrarily handed out.


Urvashi also highlighted the fact that the Best Actress award wasn’t shared this year, unlike previous editions, and questioned why such decisions were made. Referring to fellow actor Vijayaraghavan’s shared win in the Best Supporting Actor category (alongside Muthupettai Somu Bhaskar), she asked what consistent criteria, if any, were being followed.

About Ullozhukku

Despite the criticism, Urvashi called Ullozhukku one of the most physically demanding roles of her career and expressed gratitude for the opportunity. Ullozhukku is a 2024 Malayalam drama directed by Christo Tomy, starring Urvashi and Parvathy Thiruvothu in lead roles. The film also features Arjun Radhakrishnan, Alencier Ley Lopez, and Prashanth Murali. Released on June 21, 2024, the film earned strong critical praise—especially for Urvashi’s standout performance. While it didn’t break box office records, Ullozhukku quietly carved out a name for itself with its emotional depth and strong storytelling.

Meanwhile, Shah Rukh Khan and Vikrant Massey shared the Best Actor award, while Rani Mukerji won Best Actress for her performance in Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway.