Mammootty, 'Akale' corner glory in Kerala awards

Thiruvananthapuram, July 23 (IANS) Four-time National Award winner and Malayalam superstar Mammootty bagged the best actor award for his role in "Kazhcha" at the Kerala State Film Awards 2004 announced here Saturday.

The film "Akale" won six awards for best film, best director (Shyama Prasad), best actress (Geetu Mohandas), best supporting actress (Sheela), best cinematographer (S. Kumar) and for art direction (Raja Unnithan).

The awards were announced here by Cultural Affairs Minister A.P. Anilkumar in the presence of the jury, which was headed by veteran Malayalam film personality Sreekumaran Thampi.

Geetu Mohandas and Kavya Madhavan were declared joint winners for the best actress award. Geetu Mohandas' performance in "Akale" and "Oridam" and Kavya Madhavan's stellar acting in "Perumazhakalam" bagged the honours for the duo.

Veteran supporting actor Lalu Alex was judged the best supporting actor for his role in "Manjupolaoru Pennukutti" while Sheela won the best supporting actress title at the national level got the same award here too for her role in "Akale".

Youngster Blessy, who directed "Kazhcha", won the best debutant director award. The film also won the award as the most popular film.

Expressing happiness, Mammootty said: "Each character is different and I see to it that I make it different. I like to be known by my characters and I also see to it that every year I act with at least one debutant director."

Director Shyama Prasad said he was delighted and dedicated the award to teamwork. The awards will be presented at a later date.