'It’s not pension money': Urvashi slams National Awards jury over ‘Supporting Actress’ tag; seeks answers

Veteran actress Urvashi, who bagged the Best Supporting Actress award for 'Ullozhukku' at the 71st National Film Awards, has voiced her dissatisfaction with the jury’s decision-making process.While she expressed gratitude for the honour, Urvashi openly questioned the logic behind categorizing her role as “supporting.”Talking to Manorama News, she asked pointedly, “Is there any standard scale for acting? Or is it that after a certain age, this is all you’ll get?”Urvashi minced no words when addressing the jury’s selections. “This is not pension money to be silently accepted,” she said, asserting that awards should be something the recipient is proud to accept—not something to be handed over without explanation. She also questioned why the Best Actress award wasn’t shared this year, as has happened in the past. Referring to actor Vijayaraghavan’s win as well, she added, “How are these decisions made? What criteria are followed?” Urvashi called on Minister of State for Culture and actor Suresh Gopi to investigate the process and advocate for Malayalam cinema’s rightful place in national honours.Despite the controversy, Urvashi reiterated that she never acted for the sake of awards. She recalled a similar situation years ago when she received a Best Supporting Actress award for Achuvinte Amma, a decision that was publicly questioned by the late actress Saroja Devi. “Even then, there was politics. I never canvassed or lobbied,I just did meaningful cinema,” Urvashi said.Meanwhile, Shah Rukh Khan and Vikrant Massey shared the Best Actor award, and the Best Actress was Rani Mukerji. Vijayaraghavan and Muthupettai Somu Bhaskar shared the Best Supporting Actor award and Urvashi and Janki Bodiwala shared the Best Supporting Actress award for the acclaimed films 'Ullozhukku' and 'Vash' respectively.