‘Minnal Murali’ director Basil Joseph wins big at Asian Academy Awards ‘22, says proud to represent Malayalam movies globally

Malayalam film-maker, who created headlines with India’s first rural superhero film ‘Minnal Murali’, is back in the news. The 32-year-old has been adjudged the best director among entries from 16 countries at the recently held Asian Academy Awards 2022. The film-maker said that he feels proud to be a part of the Malayalam film industry and to represent India on an international stage.

The director took to his Twitter account to share the news. “I feel overwhelmed and honored to be declared as the Best Director among 16 countries at the Asian Academy Awards 2022. Today,I feel prouder than ever to be a part of the Malayalam movie industry and to represent India on this stage,” he wrote.
‘Minnal Murali’, helmed by Joseph, premiered on December 24, 2021, on Netflix. It was released in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi and English. Upon release, the film was hailed as a feel-good entertainer albeit with the usual tropes of a superhero movie. Critics lauded the direction and technical brilliance of the film along with the performance of the lead actors. ‘Minnal Murali’ is also the third Indian film to be in Netflix’s Global Top 10 list of non-English films.
Joseph, who is currently among the most sought-after film-makers in the Malayalam film industry, began his career in 2012 with a short film ‘CET’ Life as an actor. He took the plunge into acting while he was pursuing engineering at the College of Engineering, Trivandrum. Apart from ‘Minnal Murali’, he has helmed successful films such as ‘Kunjiramayanam’ and ‘Godha’.

At present, Joseph is basking in the success of his recently released comedy-drama ‘Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey’. Joseph played the lead alongside Darshana Rajendran and Aju Varghese in the drama. The film which was made on a budget of Rs 5 crore went on to gross Rs 40 crore in just 25 days.