Kerala CM Slams National Film Awards for Honouring ‘The Kerala Story’
By Amit Kumar
The decision to confer two National Film Awards on the controversial movie The Kerala Story has
sparked sharp criticism from Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who called the move a “grave
insult” to the state and accused the jury of endorsing a divisive narrative.
The film’s director Sudipto Sen was awarded Best Director, while Prasantanu Mohapatra received the
award for Best Cinematography, as announced by the Union Ministry of Information and
Broadcasting. The awards are for the year 2023.
The Kerala Story, released in May 2023, stirred nationwide debate for its portrayal of “love jihad”.
The film claims that women from Kerala were radicalised and recruited into the Islamic State group
after converting to Islam. Initially, the filmmakers asserted that 32,000 women from Kerala had
joined the Islamic State. However, following public outcry and demands for evidence, the claim was
quietly retracted, and the promotional material was revised to say the movie was a “compilation of
the true stories of three young girls”.
Chief Minister Vijayan, taking to social media, condemned the jury’s choice, stating that by
honouring a film that “spreads blatant misinformation with the clear intent of tarnishing Kerala’s
image and sowing seeds of communal hatred,” the awards committee had “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,” Vijayan stated. “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.”
The film’s accolades have also drawn criticism from opposition leaders. Congress General Secretary
KC Venugopal described the film as a tool of propaganda, saying it “deserves to be in the dustbin.”
“It peddles a rotten agenda and maligns my beautiful state of Kerala,” he said.
Venugopal went on to say that the film’s recognition is “the most perfect example of how the BJP
sponsors and promotes hate from the highest echelons of government.” He added: “Kerala will never ever tolerate this insult it has received from the government of its own country,” asserting that the
people “will punish the BJP so hard that they will not even dream of gaining any acceptance for
generations to come.”
The controversy surrounding The Kerala Story has reopened an important conversation about how
films can shape social narratives and the accountability that comes with creative freedom.