The 66th National Film Awards for the year 2019 was announced today at Shastri Bhavan, Delhi.

The 2018 comical sports-drama, Sudani From Nigeria, directed by debutant Zakariya Mohammed, has won the best Malayalam film award this year. Savithri Sreedharan, who played the mother of Soubin Shahir's character in the film, won a special mention from the jury. 

Muhsin Parari, the co-writer of the film, is delighted about the win. "We envisioned Sudani from Nigeria as a film that would appeal to the global audience, and because we kept that in mind, we were able to expand our imagination. As a friend of Zakariya (director), I'm happy I got to help him realize his vision.  It's not often that we see films appealing not just to awards jury, but also to the general public.

Sudani from Nigeria, which completed a 100-day run in many cities, portrays the heartwarming friendship between an African football player (Samuel Abiola Robinson), who joins a local soccer club in Malappuram, Kerala, and his manager (Soubin Shahir).  The film earned rave reviews from all corners.

The film won five awards at the 49th Kerala State Film Awards, including Best Screenplay, Best Film with Popular Appeal and Aesthetic Value, Best Debut Director, Best Actor (Shahir), and Best Character Actress (Savithri and Sarasa).

Muhsin Parari is currently directing a film, titled Kakka 921. Samuel Abiola Robinson, who played the Nigerian football player, will next be seen in a negative role in a film titled Purple. Soubin Shahir, on the other hand, is preparing for his second directorial venture after Parava.