Kani Kusruti was chosen Best Actress in the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) competition at the 42nd Moscow International Film Festival for her role in Sajin Baabu’s Malayalam feature film, Biriyaani (2019).
India's ambassador to Russia DB Venkatesh Varma accepted the award on behalf of the actress at a ceremony held in Moscow yesterday. The festival was held in the Russian capital from 1–8 October.
This is the first time a Malayalam movie has won an award at the festival. Biriyaani was one of the two Malayalam movies in the BRICS competition section, the other being Don Palathara’s 1956, Madhyathiruvithamkoor (2020).
Biriyaani was premiered at the Asiatica festival in Rome, Italy, where it won the NETPAC award for Best Film. The movie went on to win the Jury award at the Bangalore International Film Festival. It has also been screened at several festivals around the world.
The film portrays the life of Khadeeja and her mother, who are forced to leave their home and village due to unforeseen events. Produced under the banner of UAN Film House, Biriyaani was written and directed by Sajin Baabu.
Expressing his happiness at his lead actress having received the award, Sajin Baabu said, “We are happy that Biriyaani is getting recognition at different international festivals. Initially, the movie was not getting much attention. We did not expect an award as even getting selected to such a prestigious festival itself is a great honour for us. We see this as an achievement for the independent cinema community in India, especially in Kerala.”