When Prithviraj won the State Film Award for best actor in 2006 for his brilliant performance as a corrupt government official in Vasthavam, many raised their eyebrows! Many people felt uncomfortable to see a less-established actor in the list of winners.

The same people might have had to raise their eyebrows even higher on Wednesday, when Minister M.A. Baby announced the State Film Awards 2008, where all the four main awards were bagged by comparitive newcomers! There were no Mohanlal, Mammootty, Meera Jasmine or Padmapriya; instead we saw Lal, Priyanka, Anoop Menon and Praveena walking away with the most-coveted and respected awards in acting.

Director Padmakumar, one of the leading young filmmakers in Malayalam, reportedly said that this is an extremely encouraging sign. "For directors like me, it is great to see younger talents like Priyanka and Anoop being recognized. We badly need young stars in Malayalam cinema. And I am glad Lal won the best actor award; he gave his best for Thalappavu. I am sure many people would now want to see how Priyanka performed in Vilapangalkappuram, which is due for release," he was quoted as saying.

Director Roshan Andrews, a member of the jury, revealed that contrary to media reports, Lal had no competition for the best actor. "Of course, neither Mohanlal nor Mammootty had films that could showcase their much-proven skills, but let us take nothing away from a remarkable effort from Lal. As for Priyanka, she had to face stiff challenge from Praveena, but the former, we found, was a step ahead. Priyanka’s performance in Bhoomi Malayalam was also praiseworthy. In fact, Girish Kasaravalli, the jury chairman, had asked me if she was actually an athlete (she played a long jumper in the film),” he said.

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