Veteran actor and filmmaker Prakash Raj has been appointed as the chairperson of the jury for the Kerala State Film Awards 2024. The State government announced the decision, confirming that directors Ranjan Pramod and Jibu Jacob will head two sub-committees for the preliminary round of judging. Both will also serve on the final jury.
The final judging panel includes dubbing artist and State Award winner Bhagyalakshmi, playback singer Gayathri Ashokan, filmmaker and sound designer Nithin Lukose, and writer-screenwriter Santhosh Echikkanam.
The preliminary juries will feature film critic MC Raja Narayanan, directors VC Abhilash and Rajesh K, poet-lyricist Vijayarajamallika, cinematographer Subal KR, and writer-lyricist Shamshad Hussain.
For the awards recognising writings on cinema, filmmaker and scholar Madhu Eravankara will chair the jury, joined by film critic A Chandrasekhar and writer Vineetha Vijayan. Chalachitra Academy Secretary C Ajoy will serve as the member secretary for all panels.
A total of 128 films have been submitted for this year’s competition. Jury screenings are scheduled to commence on Monday.
Prakash Raj, a five-time National Award winner, has been a prominent figure in Indian cinema for over three decades. Known for his work across multiple languages including Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi and English, he has also directed five films. The veteran actor was seen in Dhanush's Idli Kadai.
