The 71st National Film Awards were announced on August 1, and Shah Rukh Khan's fans had a big reason to celebrate. The superstar bagged his first-ever National Award for Best Actor for his role in Jawan – a major milestone in his 33-year-long career.
But not everyone is convinced about the decision. South actress Urvashi, who won Best Supporting Actress for Ullozhukku, has opened up about what she feels is a lack of fairness by the jury.
In a chat with Asianet News, she pointed out a major concern: veteran Malayalam actor Vijayaraghavan only received the Best Supporting Actor award, even though his performance, according to her, deserved more.
“Vijayaraghavan is such a great actor. What exactly did the jury consider to distinguish between Vijayaraghavan's and Shah Rukh Khan's performances? How did one become a supporting actor and the other the best actor? On what criteria? We should raise such questions, as we too are taxpaying citizens. Kutettan (referring to Vijayaraghavan) has decades of experience in cinema. The film wasn't a big-budget, 250-day shoot kind of project like those in other languages,” she said.
Urvashi further talked about how committed Vijayaraghavan was to his role in Pookkaalam, where he played a 100-year-old man. She mentioned that she was offered the role of his on-screen partner in the same film but had to say no because of the intense makeup demands.
“I was initially approached to play his pair in Pookkaalam. Still, I declined because the role required me to undergo a significant physical transformation, for which I would have had to be in the makeup chair for several hours. I told them, even if you pay me crores, I wouldn't do it. But he, at his age, endured all of that and performed. That alone deserves at least a Special Mention. How is he only a supporting actor? On what basis was that decided? That's all I'm asking — there must be some fairness,” Urvashi added.
While Shah Rukh Khan shared the Best Actor title with Vikrant Massey for 12th Fail, Vijayaraghavan's award came in the supporting actor category. He played opposite veteran actress K. P. A. C. Leela in Pookkaalam, a Malayalam film released in 2023.
Interestingly, Urvashi also shared her Best Supporting Actress award with Janki Bodiwala, who won for her work in the Gujarati film Vash.
