Friends with benefits: Did NFA jury chairman Priyadarshan unfairly reward his buddies Akshay Kumar and Mohanlal?

The friendship shared by director Priyadarshan with Akshay Kumar and Mohanlal is not a secret in the entertainment industry. So far, the successful filmmaker has been associated with Akshay in six Bollywood movies, including Hera Pheri, Garam Masala, Bhagam Bhag, Bhool Bhulaiyaa, De Dana Dan and Khatta Meetha, while he has helmed over 35 films with Lal in the lead role.

Now, with the announcement of 64th National Film Awards, netizens are saying "when Priyadarshan is the jury chairman, how can he not consider his besties?" It has to be noted that the Bollywood star has been selected as the best actor for his performance in the Hindi movie Rustom, and Mollywood superstar has been honoured with the Special Jury award considering his roles in the films Janatha Garage, Pulimurugan and Munthirivallikal Thalirkkumbol.

Though both Mohanlal and Akshay have performed well in the movies, netizens have been sharing few funny memes highlighting that their friendship is the sole reason why they could easily bag the prestigious awards this year. "Has Priyadarshan misused his job?," ask few netizens who don't seem to be very happy with the award winners' list. "Lol, Priyadarshan was the jury of the #NationalFilmAwards and you are asking why akki wins," another netizen comments.

Also read: Mollywood gets 7 National awards || Bollywood winners' list

Apart from Mohanlal and Akshay, even Tirru, who has worked with Priyadarshan in a few movies, has been selected as the best cinematographer for capturing the visuals of Suriya's 24. Few social media users have raised the question if this too is due to their friendship!

Meanwhile, when it comes to the award given to Mohanlal, another big question comes up. How is the Jibu Jacob directorial Munthirivallikal Thalirkumbol, released in 2017, even in the list since 64th National Film Award is given to films that have hit the theatres only in 2016? 

Check out the viral memes that are doing the rounds on social media here:

Dileep as Priyadarshan: Best actor Akshay Kumar, special jury for Mohanlal
Balu: You could have given one award to Maniyanpilla Raju as well.
Balu: Even Jagadeesh is fine.

He couldn't win the award just because of the film's release date delay. [It has to be noted that singer MG Sreekumar is also a close friend of Priyadarshan]