Priyadarshan’s ambitious multilingual (Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, and Telugu), Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham (Marakkar: Lion of The Arabian Sea), took home not one, but three National Awards on Monday. The historical film took home the titles of Best Feature Film, Best Costume Designer (Sujith Sudhakaran and V Sai) and Best Special Effects (by Priyadarshan’s son, Siddharth). 

Based on the story of Kunjali Marakkar IV (played by Mohanlal), the celebrated naval chief of the Zamorin of Calicut, the film stars Suniel Shetty, Manju Warrier, Arjun Sarja, Mukesh and Keerthy Suresh, in pivotal roles. Priyadarshan, who dedicated his award to the late filmmaker David Lean, and Ramesh Sippy, says, “I didn’t expect to win, although I thought the film could be awarded in other departments. I am dedicating this award to my two gurus, who taught me how to shoot big frames in big canvases. David Lean and Ramesh Sippy’s filmmaking styles have influenced me. They had the same approach to movie-making.”