'It’s Because Of Empuraan...': Aadujeevitham Snub At National Awards Is Political, Says Ullozhukku Actress Urvashi

Veteran actress Urvashi, who primarily works in the Malayalam and Tamil film industry, won Best Supporting Actress for her role in Ullozhukku at the 71st National Film Awards. In a recent interview, she slammed the jury for snubbing Prithviraj Sukumaran's movie Aadujeevitham: The Goat Life. He asked some hard-hitting questions from the jury and praised Prithviraj for putting his everything into this role - emotionally and physically.

'How Could They Ignore Aadujeevitham', Asks Urvashi

In an interview with The News Minute, Urvashi highlighted the efforts of Prithviraj for portraying the role of Najeeb in the movie. She said, "You have an actor who has given time and effort and gone through a physical transformation to showcase the life of Najeeb, and his gut-wrenching suffering. He lived that pain, and they just ignored it. We all know it’s because of Empuraan. Awards cannot get political.” For the unversed, Mohanlal and Prithviraj starrer L2: Empuraan allegedly included scenes referring to the 2002 Gujarat riots. Soon after, people rose in uproar, and the makers had to delete the alleged 2-minute controversial scene.

She further added that she can voice it as she is not linked to any political party and pays her taxes. "I have no fear. I am raising this, not for me, but for those who walk behind me. I do not want anyone telling them, ‘Even Urvashi kept quiet when she won, why are you making noise?’"

Director Blessy slammed Ashutosh Gowariker over Aadujeevitham snub

In an interview with OnManorama, the director expressed his disappointment with his movie The Goat Life being snubbed by the jury because it lacked "naturality" and the performance didn't seem "authentic". He recalled how Gowariker praised the film on its release and compared it with Lawrence of Arabia (1962). “If someone appreciated the film in such detail before, how can they dismiss it on technical grounds? This seems like double standards," he added.

However, Prithviraj has a different take on Aadujeevitham's snub at the National Film Awards. In an interview with Mid-day, the actor shared that he is content with the success of the movie, and he just wanted the story of the man to reach everyone.

The film grossed over ₹158 crore against the budget of ₹82 crore. It is currently, 5th highest-grossing Malayalam film of all time and the 2nd highest-grossing Malayalam film of 2024.

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