PUNE: A students' organisation at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) has strongly condemned the decision to confer a national award on The Kerala Story, stating that government-backed recognition for the film is “not simply disappointing, but dangerous”.
Filmmaker Sudipto Sen received the Best Director award for The Kerala Story, which also won Best Cinematography at the 71st National Film Awards.
The 2023 film has been at the centre of controversy for its portrayal of women in Kerala allegedly being forcefully converted and recruited by the terror group Islamic State (ISIS).
In a statement issued on August 2, the FTII Students’ Association declared that The Kerala Story was “not a film, but a weapon”.
“The state has once again made its position clear: it will reward propaganda disguised as cinema if it aligns with its majoritarian, hate-filled agenda. The Kerala Story is not a film; it is a weapon. A falsified narrative aimed at vilifying the Muslim community and demonising an entire state that has historically stood for communal harmony, education, and resistance,” the statement read.
The Association argued that cinema is not a neutral medium, but a powerful instrument of influence. It warned that the decision to award the film was “not merely disappointing, but dangerous”.
“When a government-endorsed body elevates a film that spreads misinformation and paranoia against minorities, it is not merely ‘recognising art’; it is legitimising violence. It is scripting future lynchings, social exclusion, and political othering,” it said.
The students’ group further criticised what they see as the reduction of cinema to a tool of state-sponsored communalism.
“We refuse to accept that Islamophobia is now award-worthy. And we refuse to be silent as the industry we hope to enter is being reshaped to reward lies, bigotry, and fascist ideology. The state must understand: giving awards to propaganda does not make it true. And we, as students and citizens, will not stop calling it what it is, incitement. Violence,” the statement concluded.