The 55th Kerala State Film Awards 2025 celebrated the best of Malayalam cinema with an impressive line-up of winners led by Manjummel Boys, which bagged several top awards for best film, best director, and best screenplay. The winners were announced at a press conference in Thrissur, chaired by Fisheries, Culture, and Youth Welfare Minister Saji Cherian.
A total of 128 films were submitted for this year’s awards. Out of all these, the best 26 were shortlisted for the final round after an intensive screening process. The seven-member jury, headed the renowned actor Prakash Raj, viewed four to five films daily before engaging in detailed discussions to select the best across categories.
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‘Manjummel Boys’ reigns supreme
Chidambaram S Poduval’s Manjummel Boys emerged as the big winner, taking home the awards for Best Film, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. The film also earned Sushin Shyam the title of Best Music Director and Ajayan Chalissery the award for Best Art Director. Actor Soubin Shahir have won the best character artist (male) award for his exemplary performance in the film which further solidified its dominance this year.
Mammootty shines yet again
Veteran actor Mammootty added another feather to his illustrious cap, winning Best Actor for his powerful performance in Bramayugam. The film’s Sidharth Bharathan shared the best character artist (male) title with Soubin Shahir.
On the women’s front, Shamla Hamza took home Best Actress for her remarkable role in Feminichi Fathima, which also earned Fasil Muhammed the Best Debut Director award. Lijomol Jose was recognised as best character artist (female) for Nadanna Sambhavam, while Zeba Tommy and K. S. Harisankar won best playback singer (female) and (male), respectively.
Special jury mentions and other honours
The Special Jury Award went to Paradise, while individual commendations were given to Jyothirmayi, Darshana Rajendran, Tovino Thomas, and Asif Ali for their outstanding contributions. The Best Popular Film title was bagged by the box-office hit Premalu, and ARM received recognition for Best VFX.
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The 55th Kerala State Film Awards once again reaffirmed the creative depth of Malayalam cinem, blending mainstream appeal with artistic integrity, and celebrating a year where storytelling took centre stage. ARM received recognition for Best VFX.
The 55th Kerala State Film Awards once again reaffirmed the creative depth of Malayalam cinema, blending mainstream appeal with artistic integrity, and celebrating a year where storytelling took centre stage.
