At the recently announced 54th Kerala State Film Awards, (The Sentence) was honoured with two prestigious awards: Promising Debut of a Director for Fazil Razak and Best Actress for Beena R Chandran. Sharing with us his joy, Fazil, while at a loss for words, says, “I’m truly happy that my debut film has received such a recognition. It inspires me to continue making quality films.
” Without any prior knowledge of filmmaking, Fazil, a native of Pattambi, began his career with notable short films along with a team of like-minded people. He credits his achievement in to all their collective efforts. “This success isn’t just mine.
Like me, it’s the first feature film for nearly everyone involved in the project, and I dedicate this award to my cast and crew, who made the film possible.” Interestingly, many involved in , including Beena, had previously collaborated with Fazil on his short films Athiru and Pira, both of which were screened at the International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK) in 2021. Reflecting on her achievement with immense joy, Beena, a teacher-turned-actor, says, “I am incredibly happy right now.
I work as a UP school teacher in Palakkad and also participate in theatre, which was the foundation for me as an actor. But amidst this routine, I also managed to be a part of the film industry, thanks to the summer vacations.” After making brief appearances in a few indie films over the past decade, marked Beena’s debut as a full-length character.
The film, a poignant drama, has her playing a lonely play school teacher, who grapples with a dire existence. Although she was offered another film after , Beena could not accept it due to this year’s election duties. “Right now, I’ll continue doing plays,” says Beena, who had finished performing a 40-minute solo play titled Otta Njaval Maram before the call.
Beena shared the Best Actress award with Urvashi, who won it for her exemplary performance in . It is the veteran’s record sixth win and Beena is excited on being honoured alongside such a legend. “I found out that I had won the award while I was teaching.
I’m immensely grateful to the jury for their gesture to include me as well, as they could have easily overlooked a relatively new actor like me and given the award solely to Urvashi chechi. It’s a true honour to share the award with someone who I’ve been keenly observing and admiring from a young age.” Beena, who could not single out just one or two people to dedicate this award, adds, “Along with my family, the support of my native place and its people have been invaluable.
I was the casting director for , and the actors were my relatives and fellow villagers. So this achievement is theirs as much as mine.” premiered in the competition section at the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) last year.
There, the film earned Fazil the Rajata Chakoram for Best Debut Director and won the audience poll award for films in competition. “We are planning to release in theatres later this year,” reveals Fazil as he looks forward to sharing the film with a broader audience..
