Updated on: Aug 01, 2025 08:07 pm IST
Shah Rukh Khan and Vikrant Massey shared the Best Actor award at the 71st National Film Awards, something fans of Prithviraj Sukumaran took offence to.
As the 71st National Film Awards were announced in Delhi by the jury on Friday, social media exploded. Shah Rukh Khan and Vikrant Massey shared the Best Actor prize for Jawan and 12th Fail, respectively. As their fans congratulated their idols, there were a few social media users who felt justice had not been done. Chief among them were fans of Malayalam star Prithviraj Sukumaran, who shared clips of his acclaimed performance in Aadujeevitham: The Goat Life, saying he was ‘robbed’.
Prithviraj Sukumaran fans miffed about his ‘omission’
Fans of Prithviraj took to Twitter (now called X) on Friday evening to complain that the actor’s performance deserved the National Award. “This man put his blood, sweat and health over a film and didn’t even win a national award for the finest performance, this was the best performance of decade. #nationalawards have become joke! Better luck next time,” wrote one. Another shared a clip from the film and added, “THIS IS CALLED ACTING 🥺😭 he deserved a NATIONAL AWARD man.” Yet another shared stills from the film and wrote, “National Awards failed here. Indians failed here. Art failed here. Talent failed here. We failed here.”
Why was The Goat Life overlooked?
The 71st National Film Awards were given for films released and/or certified in 2023. This meant that any film that was certified by the CBFC in 2023 and/or released in that year was eligible for contention. However, The Goat Life does not fit either criteria. The film was submitted for certification only in January 2024 and received its certificate on February 1 that year. It was eventually released in theatres on 28 March. The film is likely to be in contention for the 72nd National Film Awards, which will be given out next year.
All about The Goat Life
Directed by Blessy, Aadujeevitham: The Goat Life is a biographical survival drama based on the life of Najeeb, a Malayali immigrant labourer in Saudi Arabia. The film starred Prithviraj in the lead, alongside Jimmy Jean-Louis, Amala Paul, KR Gokul, and Shobha Mohan. The film received wide critical acclaim and was a commercial success as well. It grossed ₹158 crore at the box office, becoming one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films ever.
