15 hours ago
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The National Film Award jury’s decision to bestow two awards, including the best director award to Sudipto Sen, for the film The Kerala Story has invited a storm of criticism in Kerala.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in a statement marking his protest, said the jury insulted the noble tradition of Indian cinema that stood for religious brotherhood and national integration by awarding a film that was built on lies to defame Kerala and spread communalism.
“By honouring a film that spreads blatant misinformation with the clear intent of tarnishing Kerala’s image and sowing seeds of communal hatred, the jury has lent legitimacy to a narrative rooted in the divisive ideology of the Sangh Parivar. Kerala, a land that has always stood as a beacon of harmony and resistance against communal forces, has been gravely insulted by this decision. It is not just Malayalis but everyone who believes in democracy must raise their voice in defence of truth and the constitutional values we hold dear,” he posted in X.
General Education Minister V. Sivankutty said recognising The Kerala Story, a film that spreads hate and baseless allegations, devalued all the other awards.
“It is extremely regrettable that a national award is being given to a film that is full of baseless allegations and hate propaganda. This is a recognition of attempts to create divisions in society. Such trends do not augur well for the pluralism of our country,” he said.
Social media platforms were abuzz with posts criticising the National Film Award jury for awarding the film. Ahead of the film’s release two years ago, various organisations from Kerala had moved the Supreme Court calling for a ban. Though the Supreme Court and the Kerala High Court refused to stay the film’s release, the makers of the film had to remove its teaser after their claim about “32,000 women” from Kerala joining the IS. They also altered the trailer to say that it was a “compilation of the true stories of three young girls.” They also added a statement to the film which said that it was a work of fiction.
The ruling Left Democratic Front and the Opposition United Democratic Front were united in their opposition to the film, with much of the civil society too calling it an attempt to malign the State. Only the Bharatiya Janata Party openly endorsed the film in Kerala.
The film also led to a flurry of social media posts and videos titled ‘The Real Kerala Story,’ portraying stories of communal amity from the State. Documentary filmmaker Sanu Kummil made the documentary The Unknown Kerala Stories portraying six stories of communal harmony from different corners of Kerala.
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