Jury Chairman Reveals REAL Reason Why The Kerala Story Won 2 National Awards
The 71st National Film Awards were announced on August 1, and The Kerala Story secured two wins. Sudipto Sen won the Best Direction Award, and Prasantanu Mohapatra won the Best Cinematography Award. The Kerala Story became a controversial release due to its subject. Many slammed the film as propaganda, and it faced widespread criticism for allegedly misrepresenting facts and portraying Kerala in a communal light.
As The Kerala Story's wins raise some eyebrows, Jury Chairman Ashutosh Gowariker has revealed why the film won. He told NDTV, 'One is the cinematography award. The cinematography in The Kerala Story was very stark and realistic." He added, 'It didn't ever try to overpower the narrative; the images were created within the realm of things. So, we applauded that."
As for Sudipto Sen's accolade, Gowariker said, 'It's a difficult topic and to convey that with the kind of clarity that as a jury we felt the need to applaud it." Gowariker said that while there were 'deliberations' in the jury about The Kerala Story, the film was awarded unanimously.
Meanwhile, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has slammed the 71st National Film Awards for The Kerala Story's wins. In a statement, Chief Minister Vijayan said the film was 'made with lies to defame Kerala and spread communalism". He added that by honouring such a film, the awards jury had 'insulted the noble tradition of Indian cinema that stood for religious brotherhood and national integration"
The Chief Minister further alleged that the move reflected the ideological agenda of the Sangh Parivar. 'They are implementing the Sangh Parivar agenda of turning cinema into a weapon to implement the communal agenda," he said. Vijayan urged all democratic-minded citizens and Malayalis to speak out against what he described as a grave injustice.
'Every Malayali and all democratic believers in the country should raise their voice against this injustice. We must rally against politics that turns art into a weapon to foster communalism," he stated. Additionally, Kerala's Education Minister V Sivankutty also voiced his disapproval.
Released in 2023, The Kerala Story depicted the alleged radicalisation and trafficking of women from Kerala by ISIS, a narrative many have dismissed as exaggerated and misleading. The film was even banned in several Indian states. The film was headlined by Adah Sharma, who is celebrating the film's wins along with Sudipto Sen and the team.
First Published:
August 02, 2025, 10:14 IST
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