With 1999 a past memory, it is time now to reward the best of the fare that was offered during the year. The awards here will be along the lines of the Academy Awards presentation in the US, with five nominations followed by declaration of the winner. The nominees will be listed in alpabetical order.
Note: As was the case with the Top Ten list, these awards deal only with the movies that I watched between 1/1/99 and 12/31/99. Deserving candidates that may have been released in 1999 but which I was able to watch only in 2000 will hence be eliminated. Ofcourse, they will make it to the Oscars presented in 2001.
BEST PICTURE
| The nominees : |
Amarkkalam Mudhalvan Nee Varuvaai Ena Pooveli Vaali |
| The Winner : | Vaali |
| A delightful romance, terrific performances and legitimate thrills came together nicely as a package in Vaali, the first film from director Suryah. A cliched climax only slightly marred this otherwise perfect entertainer. | |
BEST DIRECTOR
| The nominees : |
Charan ( Amarkkalam ) Erajakumaran ( Nee Varuvaai Ena ) Selva ( Pooveli ) Suryah ( Vaali ) Shankar ( Mudhalvan ) |
| The Winner : | Erajakumaran |
| The central concept of why Devayani loves Parthiban in Nee Varuvaai Ena was rather ridiculous. But that only served to highlight the talent of director Erajakumaran who, in his first movie, made us take it in our stride with efficient handling. There was credible suspense as the movie progressed and his handling of the terrific climax was laudable. | |
BEST ACTOR
| The nominees : |
Ajith ( Vaali ) Karthik ( Pooveli ) Parthiban ( Housefull ) Prakashraj ( Andhappuram ) Vijay ( Thullaadha Manamum Thullum ) |
| The Winner : | Ajith |
| Ajith's double turn as the deaf and dumb but evil elder brother, and his believing younger brother in Vaali did not have much of a competition. He stunned critics and audiences alike with his performance as the gum-chewing older brother lusting for his sister-in-law. Inspite of his boyish looks, he was thoroughly convincing. | |
BEST ACTRESS
| The nominees : |
Isha Gopikar ( Kaadhal Kavidhai ) Ramya Krishnan ( Padaiyappa ) Shalini ( Amarkkalam ) Simran ( Vaali ) Soundarya ( Andhappuram ) |
| The Winner : | Soundarya |
| Soundarya earned our sympathy as a single mother trying to get her son away from the clutches of his bloodthirsty grandfather. Her interactions with Prakashraj and realistic performance when fleeing from his goondas touched our hearts. | |
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
| The nominees : |
Ajith ( Nee Varuvaai Ena ) Karthik ( Aanandha Poongaatre ) Manivannan ( Sangamam ) Napoleon (Edhirum Pudhirum ) Parthiban ( Andhappuram ) |
| The Winner : | Parthiban |
| Parthiban's performance as the money-minded man trying to save Soundarya is what scene-stealing is all about. With his patented dialog delivery, he was in full flow and stole the show. | |
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
| The nominees : |
Devayani ( Oruvan ) Heera ( Pooveli ) Kushboo ( Minsaara Kannaa ) Sujitha ( Hello ) Vasuki ( Aanandha Mazhai ) |
| The Winner : | Vasuki |
| Vasuki played the hero's sister in Aanandha Mazhai. She was perky without being irritating and emotions came naturally to her during the serious scenes too. A winning performance. | |
BEST MUSIC DIRECTOR
| The nominees : |
A.R.Rehman ( Sangamam, Mudhalvan, Taj Mahal ) Bharadwaj ( Amarkkalam ) Deva ( Vaali ) Vidyasagar ( Uyirodu Uyiraaga ) Yuvan Shankar Raja ( Poovellaam Kettuppaar ) |
| The Winner : | A.R.Rehman |
| Though the movies A.R.Rehman scored the music for achieved only mixed results, his popular tunes earned them lots of publicity when the albums were released. He exhibited equal competence with the high-tech songs for Mudhalvan, the village-oriented songs for Taj Mahal and Carnatic-based songs for Sangamam. | |
BEST SONG
| The nominees : |
April Maadhathil... ( Vaali ) I Love You... ( Uyirodu Uyiraaga ) O Senorita... ( Poovellaam Kettuppaar ) Satham Illaadha ( Amarkkalam ) Varaaga Nadhi... ( Sangamam ) |
| The Winner : | O Senorita... |
| This one songs perfectly symbolises the youthfulness and exuberance of Yuvan Shankar Raja's music for Poovellaam Kaettuppaar. Infact, it will suit the light, frothy attitude of many movies during the year. Delightfully sung by Unnikrishnan, the tune is extremely catchy and charming. | |