After the 66th National Film Awards were announced on Friday, one question triggered widespread debate and criticism—why wasn't Mammootty adjudged best actor for his portrayal of Amudhavan in Tamil film Peranbu? Fans and members of the film fraternity seemed equally upset with the snubbing. In the midst of criticism, jury head Rahul Rawail took the Facebook to clarify what happened.
Rawail also alerted Mammootty to the hatred that was coming his way from fans of the veteran actor. He added that Peranbu was rejected by the regional panel, before it came to the central panel. “Mr. Mammoty. There has been a lot of 'hate mail', that to extremely nasty, that I have been receiving from your fans, or so called fan clubs, as to why you were not given the National Award as Best Actor for the film 'Peranbo'. Let me set the record straight:
Firstly, NOBODY HAS THE RIGHT TO QUESTION A JURY DECISION. Secondly, your film 'Peerambu' had been REJECTED by the Regional Panel and hence did not contend in the Central Panel. Your fans and/or devotees should stop fighting a lost cause. Never question a Jury! (sic),” Rawail wrote.
In another post, Rawail posted a message which he said was Mammootty's reply to him. In the message, Mammootty apologised to Rawail on behalf of his fans. Rawail's post has received 3.3k comments, and still counting. Most of the comments are from Malayalis who are trolling Rawail, and even posting memes featuring Malayalam actor Mohanlal.
Directed by Ram, Peranbu is a delicately crafted story of a single father's struggles raising his daughter who suffers from cerebral palsy. An emotionally intense movie, Mammootty was hailed for his subtle, yet brilliant acting. Director Ram had also received praise for dealing with the plot and the subject of a teenage girl's puberty and sexuality, with extreme sensitivity. The film won many international awards and was screened at festivals before its theatrical release in India in February.
While movie enthusiasts were upset with Mammoooty not bagging an award, there was also criticism about child artist Sadhana, who played Mammootty's daughter in the film, not even getting special mention from the jury.
