As the National Film Awards for 2023 were announced on Monday, Malayalam actor Vijayaraghavan experienced his first taste of national-level glory. The veteran won the award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role category for his performance in the film Pookkaalam, sharing it with Tamil actor MS Bhaskar. Reacting to the win, Vijayaraghavan says, "It's definitely a joyous moment, but I still consider the audience's acceptance more valuable. These awards are decided by a bunch of people, depending on their tastes and mood. If 10 people are part of the panel, they will have 20 opinions. They approach it like a teacher awarding marks, whereas a viewer comes in without any preconceived notion. So their recognition will always remain the bigger award. I'm not blaming anyone, just content with the win."

Interestingly, Pookkaalam also helped Vijayaraghavan secure his maiden Kerala State Film award in 2023. Recalling his close shave with the awards before, he adds, "There have been times when people would call me before the announcement to inform me that I've won. But once the official word comes, my name won't be there. So I stopped expecting awards. My only commitment is towards the audience, whose encouragement keeps pushing me forward even after all these years. If you look internationally, people act in 10 or 15 films, but I've been around for 53 years now, doing close to 400 films. It's hard not to let the audience get bored with us."

For an actor who has done almost everything in cinema, Pookkaalam offered Vijayaraghavan a rare, exciting challenge—playing a 100-year-old. The actor, who has a penchant for playing characters much older than his real life, reflects, "I would call it one of the most enjoyable moments of my life. I'm not sure if people will understand, but it was pure catharsis. People often ask me about the 'efforts' I put in, but I feel it's a wrong word to use. An actor lives for such roles."

As part of becoming the centenarian Ittoop, Vijayaraghavan shed close to 10-12 kg over nine months, a first such experience in his career. "It was the most I had invested in any film. Of course, every character demands mental preparation, but here, I also had to transform physically. The makeup alone would take 3-3.5 hours, during which you can't even eat properly. But I still enjoyed every bit of it. Since I was very particular that people don't get reminded of Vijayaraghavan, the actor, I paid special attention to everything, from the walk and talk to even an eye blink. My process is not to become the character, but letting the character gradually get into me."

Along with Vijayaraghavan, Urvashi also brought glory to Malayalam cinema by winning the National Award in the supporting actress category. Congratulating her on the win, Vijayaraghavan says, "I believe she has won once before, but she deserves a lot more. Our industry has had very female actors who have been as versatile as her."