Kerala State Film Awards 2024: Mammootty wins Best Actor for Bramayugam; Sharada honored with J.C. Daniel Award

At the Kerala State Film Awards 2024 ceremony, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan spoke about the journey of Malayalam cinema and how the industry has gained global attention because of its thematic differences and unique way of telling stories. He added that the State Film Awards are a historic sign of the creative growth of Malayalam cinema.

Pinarayi Vijayan praises Malayalam cinema

Speaking at the event the Chief Minister said, “Our cabinet had consistently recommended Mammootty for the honour for several years. Everything has its own time and the fact that it has finally been conferred now is deeply gratifying. We can wholeheartedly congratulate him.”



He also praised Mammootty’s long journey in cinema and said every character played by the actor continues to surprise people with deep emotion.

Mammootty’s award and special recognition

Mammootty won the Best Actor award at the Kerala State Film Awards 2024. The Chief Minister highlighted Mammootty’s performance in 'Kaathal' and said it was a role many superstars would hesitate to play.

“This is Mammootty's ninth Kerala State Film Award. He is also the first actor from Kerala to have won the National Award for Best Actor three times,” the Chief Minister said. He also spoke about Bramayugam - the film for which Mammootty won the Best Actor award. He said the film brought international attention to Malayalam cinema.



The Chief Minister added that 'Bramayugam' is the only Indian film selected by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Museum for a special screening. He said it will be screened in Los Angeles next month and this is a matter of pride not just for Kerala but for the whole country.

Sharada honoured and many artists celebrated

The government’s highest film honour, the J.C. Daniel Award was presented to actress Sharada. The Chief Minister said that Sharada was the first actress to bring the National Award for Best Actress to Malayalam cinema. He added that honouring Sharada who accepted Kerala as her own birthplace is like honouring the rich history of Malayalam cinema itself.

Shamla Hamza received the award for Best Actress. Awards were also given to 51 film talents including Tovino Thomas, Asif Ali, Vedan (Hirandas Murali), Lijo Mol Jose, Jyothirmayi, Soubin Shahir, Siddharth Bharathan, Chidambaram, Fazil Muhammed, Sushin Shyam, Sameera Saneesh, and Sayanora Philip.

Kani Kusruti and Divya Prabha accepted the award on behalf of Payal Kapadia. Jyothirmayi received the award for director Amal Neerad and Neeraja Rajendran accepted the award on behalf of her daughter Darshana Rajendran.

Mammootty’s simple words and respect for others

Mammootty said during his acceptance speech that awards are not just trophies. For him awards are encouragement for artists. The superstar said that getting an award for good acting gives more strength to continue working.

Mammootty also spoke about Asif Ali and Tovino Thomas who won the Special Jury Award along with him. He made it clear that he does not see himself above them.

“An award is encouragement for artists. Getting an award for good acting is even more encouragement. Today along with me Tovino Thomas and Asif Ali have received the Special Jury Award. They are not even one millimetre below me. They stand with me. Maybe I got the award because I am older,” Mammootty said.

The ceremony ended with music led by playback singers K. S. Harishankar and Seba Tomy.Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”