'Nallu Pennungal' misses top honours, Adoor declines comment

Thiruvananthapuram, April 8 Veteran Malayalam film director Adoor Gopalakrishnan Tuesday refused to comment on the failure of his "Nallu Pennungal", hailed at international film festivals, to get any top honours at the Kerala State Film Awards 2007. The awards were announced here Tuesday.

When the reporters contacted Adoor, who is currently in Chennai, he said that he wes in Chennai and would comment on it on his return home to Kerala.

The awards were announced by Culture Minister M.A. Baby.

Apart from best art direction and costumes, Adoor's 10th film did not bag any major award, despite much hype.

Based on four short stories of Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai, "Nallu Pennungal" was screened at the Toronto and London Film Festivals and won rave reviews, but the movie did not find favour with the jury headed by noted Assamese director Jahnu Barua.

Set in the '60s, "Nallu Pennungal" tells the tale of four women, each hailing from different social strata. It also wowed the film buffs at the 38th International Film Festival of India.