National Awards jury member Pradeep Nair raises objections for The Kerala Story win
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "National Awards jury member Pradeep Nair raises objections for The Kerala Story win")
The Kerala Story Photograph: (X)
After The Kerala Story has bagged accolades at the 71st National Awards, it has sparked an intense debate on social media. The film, helmed by Sudipto Sen, stars Adad Sharma, Yogita Bihani, and Siddhi Idnani among others.
The 71st National Awards were held at the National Media Centre in New Delhi. The awards celebrated the excellence in the Indian cinema, which recognizes films certified by CBFC (Central Board of Film Certification) between January 1 and December 31, 2023. However, the accolade bagged by The Kerala Story movie has sparked debate. The National Award jury member and filmmaker Pradeep Nair has questioned the win of the movie.
What did the jury member Pradeep Nair say?
As per a report of Onmanorama, Pradeep Nair, who is a part of an 11-member central panel for the feature film category, questioned the awards bagged by The Kerala Story. He stated, "As a Malayali on the panel, I raised serious objections. I questioned how a film that defames a state like Kerala and serves as propaganda could be considered for a national honour. I also conveyed my concerns directly to the jury chairperson".
He further stated, "However, I was the only one who labelled it as propaganda. Others argued that even if it was controversial, it tackled a relevant social issue". According to him, The Kerala Story was chosen for its relevance in addressing what the jury saw as a major social issue in India.
While Blessy's Aadujeevitham (The Goat Life) starring Prithviraj Sukumaran was reportedly submitted for several awards, it failed to secure any wins. Reportedly, when asked about this, Pradeep Nair revealed that the Jury Chairperson, Ashutosh Gowariker, wasn't entirely convinced.
The Kerala Story sparks debate on social media
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Soon after The Kerala Story won awards, many social media users flooded several platforms to give their opinion. One user wrote, "The Kerala Story won a national award for best cinematography when you think this country couldn't get any worse".
Another user wrote, "If a fake Kerala Story can win the National Award. Then the real Gujarat Story should win the Oscars.
"The Kerala Story wins national awards for best Direction and Cinematography for spreading hate and creating a false narrative against the people of Kerala", wrote the third user.
For the unversed, the movie won the Best Director and Best Cinematography awards at the 2023 National Awards. The Kerala Story dealt with forced religious conversion and recruitment by the terrorist group ISIS in the state of Kerala.
The 71st National Film Awards, presented by the National Film Development Corporation of India, were announced on 1 August 2025 to honour the best of Indian cinema in 2023. The central committee, headed by the director Ashutosh Gowariker, included the heads of each regional committee and five other jury members.
