Sharan Venugopal

The Kerala Film Critics Awards 2025 have been announced, with Mohanlal clinching Best Actor for 'Thudarum' and 'Hridayapoorvam'. Dinjith Ayyathan's 'Eko' secured Best Film, while Dominic Arun directed the Best Director winner, 'Lokah: Chapter One – Chandra'. The Best Actress award was a tie between Kalyani Priyadarshan and Anaswara Rajan.

sharan venugopal’s 'Narayaneente Moonnaanmakkal,' which recently premiered on OTT, has received acclaim for its performances and storytelling but also sparked controversy for its depiction of incest. The director defended his choice, emphasizing that such relationships exist in society. The film follows three brothers reuniting to care for their ailing mother, with a subplot involving their children causing the controversy. Despite the uproar, many viewers have praised the film for its nuanced storytelling, while others accuse it of normalizing a taboo subject.

Narayaneente Moonnanmakkal, a Malayalam family drama featuring Joju George, Suraj Venjaramoodu, and Alencier Ley Lopez, has a modest box office start, collecting Rs 62 lakh on opening day. Directed by debutant sharan venugopal, the film explores the fraught relationships among three brothers reuniting at their ancestral home. Despite strong performances, slow narrative and declining box office trends impact its success. Audience reviews praise its realistic storytelling and emotional depth, suggesting that its theatrical fate rests on word-of-mouth reception.

The critically acclaimed short has a Kolkata connection. Cinematographer Koustabh Mukherjee is a crucial part of the Satyajit Ray Film and TV Institute (SRFTI) team that made ‘Oru Paathiraa Swapnam Pole’ and his work has been immensely praised by critics.

Blessy’s documentary 100 Years of Chrysostom – A Biographical Film and sharan venugopal’s Oru Paathira Swapnam were selected in the non-feature film category

‘Kalla Nottam (The False eye)’ has won the 67th National Film Awards for Best Feature Film in the Malayalam language category.

In 'Vettaiyan', Rajinikanth and Amitabh Bachchan reunite after 33 years. The film features a high-stakes courtroom showdown with Rajinikanth as a cop and Bachchan as a lawyer. Malayalam actor Alencier Ley Lopez, who played the judge, unexpectedly criticized their acting, sparking controversy and admitting his comments might close doors in Tamil cinema.

A big contingent from Bengal was conferred the National Film Awards in Delhi in both the feature and non-feature film categories. Apart from two golden lotus awardees (Sudhanshu Saria and Sohini Chattopadhyay), multiple silver lotus awards went to those with Bengal connection.

Malayalam cinema has won big at the 67th National Film Awards. From Priyadarshan’s directorial ‘Marakkar - Arabikkadalinte Simham’ bagging the award for the best feature film to Girish Gangadharan winning the best cinematography award for ‘Jallikattu’, Malayalam cinema reaped gold at the National Film Awards this year.