It was raining heavily outside the Nishagandhi Auditorium, Thiruvananthapuram, when the 48th Kerala State Film Awards distribution ceremony kicked off on Wednesday. But as the chief guest, actor Mohanlal, entered the venue wreathed in smiles, the cheer of the crowd drowned the pitter patter of the rain in no time. The universal Lalettaa…. call thundered across the hall as he stood up to speak.
“For film actors like me, this is a joyous occasion. The awards honour the talents in us. I thank the organisers for inviting me for this blessed event,” said Mohanlal, who was suffering from a bad cold while at the event. Congratulating the state award winners in his speech, he said that he never felt jealous towards them when he lost, either.
The actor said awards inspire him too. “My movies have also found a place in nomination lists of the State Awards, at times, and I have been blessed too to be chosen the winner a few times. However, I never feel jealous of the winners when I am not chosen for the award. All I think is that I might not have performed well enough and I indulge in some self-criticism.” The actor revealed that when Indrans won it, he wondered why he couldn’t match the excellent performance. “It’s not that I was craving to receive an award, but a feeling of fulfilment. I congratulate him and others including Parvathy on this occasion,” he said.
The actor was also all nostalgic for being at Thiruvananthapuram, which he termed “a place that’s close to my heart.” He added, “I studied, gained friends, became a father, faced the clipboard unexpectedly for the first time, earned some beautiful moments with family and buddies, in Thiruvananthapuram. I also completed 40 years of my acting career now in this city. My dad, holding his files, had also walked the streets of this district for years together. My mom used to go to temple here and my brother and dad breathed their last, here.”
Mohanlal also commented on the moves in the film industry that tried to keep him away from the ceremony. “We belong to the same fraternity and are like family. So, I don’t feel like a chief guest here. Rather, I am at a get-together on a day on which I have no shooting. I don’t need anyone’s consent to come to you. For the past 40 years I am a person, who lives among you. So, when my co-stars get honoured, I feel proud and it is my right and duty to see them honoured. Njan ivied okke thane undakum (I will be here),” he said.
By Arya UR | TNN