Following the announcement of the 72nd National Film Awards, Chandu Salimkumar opened up about Manjummel Boys being overlooked, saying the outcome left many in the industry surprised and disappointed.
Published: July 19, 2026, 7:14 PM IST
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Chandu Salimkumar questions Manjummel Boys National Film Awards snub (PC: Twitter)
The announcement of the 72nd National Film Awards sparked celebrations across the Indian film industry, but it also led to disappointment for some filmmakers and actors. Among those who reacted was Malayalam actor Chandu Salimkumar, who shared a strongly worded statement after Manjummel Boys failed to receive any recognition. Although he did not mention the film by name, many fans believed his remarks were directed at the survival drama, which was widely praised by audiences and critics and emerged as one of Malayalam cinema’s biggest blockbusters.
Chandu Salimkumar questions the awards
Soon after the winners were announced, Chandu took to Instagram to express his views. While congratulating the Malayalam artists who won National Awards, he also questioned why several acclaimed films were overlooked. He wrote, “Imagine a kid in 2050 studying the history of Indian cinema. They’ll go through the list of National Award winners and watch every film that was celebrated. They won’t know who was in power or what the political climate was. They’ll judge only what they see on screen.”
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He continued, “If they find that many ordinary films were honoured while better films were ignored, they’ll naturally ask why. And if the answer people keep giving is that awards were influenced by proximity to the ruling party rather than talent, then that’s what history will remember. The trophy may last forever, but so will the questions about how it was earned.”
Ending his note, Chandu added, “Awards are supposed to outlive governments. They should stand as proof of artistic excellence, not political convenience. If people lose faith in that, history won’t remember these as the finest films of their time—it will remember them as the films that won when power mattered more than merit.”
See Chandu Salimkumar’s post here
Malayalam cinema still celebrated major wins
Despite expressing disappointment over films that missed out, Chandu also celebrated the achievements of Malayalam cinema at this year’s awards.
The Malayalam stalwart Mammootty won his fourth National Award for Best Actor for Bramayugam, sharing the honour with Kartik Aaryan for Chandu Champion. Feminichi Fathima was named Best Malayalam Film, while Shehnad Jalal received the Best Cinematography award for Bramayugam. Vaikom Vijayalakshmi also won Best Female Playback Singer for the song Angu Vaana Konilu from ARM.
Chandu even praised Mammootty on Instagram Stories, writing, “Imagine the aura of winning a National Award when it’s being handed out to the ruling party’s friends and family, yet they still can’t ignore you—because yours was simply the best performance in the country.”
Why Manjummel Boys was expected to win?
Directed by Chidambaram S.Poduval, Manjummel Boys is a survival thriller inspired by real-life events. The film received widespread appreciation for its emotional storytelling, performances and technical execution.
The movie featured Soubin Shahir, Sreenath Bhasi, Deepak Parambol, Chandu Salimkumar, Balu Varghese, Ganapathi S. Poduval, Lal Jr., Abhiram Radhakrishnan, Arun Kurian, Khalid Rahman and Shebin Benson. It became one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of all time, earning over Rs 241 crore worldwide and finishing as the industry’s biggest hit of the year.
