Malayalam film Sthanarthi Sreekuttan has gone beyond entertainment to inspire real change in classrooms. Its climax, showing students rearranging benches in a semi-circle around the teacher to promote equality, led governments in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Punjab to adopt similar classroom setups. The move was widely welcomed for breaking the frontbencher–backbencher divide. However, after the Kerala State Film Awards were announced on Monday, several netizens questioned why such an impactful film failed to win any recognition despite inspiring government action.

It may be noted that for the second year in a row, no award was given in the children’s film category. The jury said that even though six films were entered, none of them told stories from a child’s point of view.

“We request the film fraternity to please think of making children’s films. Children are a part of society, and we need to know what children think and what they understand. Just casting a few children is not enough to make it a children’s cinema. None of the films submitted talked about children’s perceptions. Even in the other films in which child actors were cast, they were not speaking their age,” said Jury Chair Prakash Raj.

Interestingly, soon after these remarks, Sthanarthi Sreekuttan director Vinesh posted on Facebook that “In a world of ‘no worthy entries for Best Child Actor’, they stand tall.” The post, with a screenshot of the circular seating arrangement scene, appeared as a subtle dig at the jury.

To know more about the context of the post, Mathrubhumi English approached Vinesh, who said the jury’s stance is questionable. He asked whether a similar approach would be taken in high-profile categories such as Best Actor or Actress, where limelight and public attention are much higher.

According to Vinesh, the movie was submitted as a contender in multiple categories. “It is true that films certified by the Central Board of Film Certification as children’s film only are eligible for screening in the Children’s Film section award category. Sthanarthi Sreekuttan was not certified as a children’s film. Yet, it’s a very old criterion we are considering, and it’s high time it should be changed. Is it because of that our children artistes are not awarded? We need to rethink,” he said.

Meanwhile, as per the rule book, the Best Child Artiste will be judged from among the feature films and children’s films. Also, contrary to other categories, an award shall be given in the Children’s Film section even if the number of entries received is less than two. That means if only one children’s film is received, it will be considered for an award, provided the committee makes a recommendation.

So, Vinesh’s argument is why not consider and recommend the child artistes who have delivered better performances among applicants. “This is tricky that so-called non-worthy contestants are always in the child film section. I am not arguing that my movie or child artistes in my movie should get an award, but why not consider other child artistes too. I doubt if the jury would have taken such a stance if it’s the actor and actress categories. Is it because child film sections do not have limelight,” he asked.

Meanwhile, Damodar Prasad, a seasoned multimedia specialist and independent researcher, while interacting with Mathrubhumi English, also noted his disagreement on cherry-picking the child film section. “I understand that decisions are subjective while conferring awards. I respect the discretion of the jury that no award for the child film section due to the ‘no worthy’ argument. But my question is whether it sticks to such yardsticks when it decided to confer multiple awards for Manjummal Boys, especially in the categories of cinematography, screenplay, and direction. What is so unique, special, or complicated in Manjummal Boys with respect to cinematography and screenplay? Nothing, in my opinion. I don't see any political reasons in them, but I think it's an issue of judgment. Also, I would have felt more respect for the jury if it had the courage to say there are no best cinematography and screenplay awards. But such a courage was limited to the child section," he said.

Prasad noted that awards are given not only to honour the contestants but also those who aspire to make good films in the future. “It should inspire people but should not celebrate mediocrity as something special, especially when a person like Prakash Raj is the chair,” he added.