Malayalam filmmaker Basil Joseph has won the Best Director award at the Asian Academy Creative Awards for his 2021 hit Netflix superhero film Minnal Murali.
Last evening, the annual Asian Academy Creative Awards, which honours content from across 16 APAC countries, announced the grand winners at the Chijmes Hall in Singapore. After two years, the event took place via an in-person ceremony.
Minnal Murali’s win was one of the 8 awards that streaming giant Netflix received from India, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. Speaking about his win for the Best Director, Basil said, “There have been tons of superhero stories in the past and creating one with a new story and vision was challenging to say the least. The Asian Academy Creative Award recognising my work and praising it has showcased my success in doing so. It has been a joyride to work with such incredible actors, producers, writers and Netflix, who supported my vision and brought it to life in such a beautiful manner. You are only as good as your team, and I am elated to have worked with such a beautiful one.”
Indian content such as House of Secrets: the Burari Deaths, Mai: A Mother’s Rage, and Thar also stood out for its incredible stories, direction, acting and screenplay. In fact, cinematographer Shreya Dev Dube won the Best Cinematography award for Thar. “I am elated to have received the award for Best Cinematography for Thar amongst such impeccable films from around the globe. Working with Netflix on this film has been a treat and I look forward to many such projects in the future. I am so grateful to the producer, director and the entire cast and crew for entrusting me with the story and bringing it to life on reel. Lastly, I am thankful to Netflix for giving Thar a platform to reach global audiences,” said Shreya
Minnal Murali is a superhero film set in the 90s. It tells the origin story of Jaison, an ordinary man turned superhero struck by the bolt of lightning that bestows superpowers. Murali soon realizes he is not the only one with these superpowers in the village.
Thar, on the other hand, is a story inspired by the Western Noir genre, and it follows Siddharth who embarks on a journey to avenge his past.
