National Awards jury member Pradeep Nair says he objected to 'propaganda' film The Kerala Story, was dismissed by others

The Kerala Story won Best Director and Best Cinematography at the 71st National Film Awards, but jury member Pradeep Nair opposed its selection.

The Kerala Story may have walked away with two major honours at the 71st National Film Awards, Best Director for Sudipto Sen and Best Cinematography for Prasantanu Mohapatra, but not everyone on the jury was in agreement. In an interview with Manorama, Jury member and filmmaker Pradeep Nair has now revealed that he strongly opposed the film’s selection, calling it “propaganda” that defames the state of Kerala. However, his objections that were ultimately overruled by the rest of the panel.

National Film Awards jury member reveals he raised an objection to The Kerala Story.

Pradeep Nair on raising objections against The Kerala Story

Pradeep, who was part of the 11-member jury for the Feature Film category, disclosed that The Kerala Story was selected by a majority vote, despite his strong opposition. “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,” he said.

He added that his objections were dismissed by the other jury members, “I even conveyed my concerns directly to the jury chairperson. However, I was the only one who labelled it as propaganda. Others argued that, even if it was controversial, it addressed a relevant social issue.”

Christo Tomy’s Ullozhukku was also in contention for Best Direction but was passed over in favour of The Kerala Story. Pradeep revealed that some jury members dismissed Ullozhukku as “just a family drama” compared to what they saw as the “social urgency” of The Kerala Story. Ullozhukku went on to win Best Malayalam Film and Best Supporting Actress for Urvashi.

About The Kerala Story

The Kerala Story became a lightning rod for controversy upon its release. Directed by Sudipto Sen and produced by Vipul Shah, the film follows a group of women from Kerala who are coerced into converting to Islam and joining the Islamic State. The makers claimed the film was inspired by real-life incidents and alleged that 32,000 women from Kerala had been radicalised and recruited by ISIS.

However, the Kerala government stated that the claims were unfounded and accused the film of spreading misinformation. The film faced calls for a ban in states like West Bengal, while other states, such as Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, made it tax-free.

Despite widespread criticism and backlash, the film, featuring Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Sonia Balani, and Siddhi Idnani, went on to earn ₹302 crore worldwide and become a box office success.