Despite winning several accolades at the 54th Kerala State Film Awards, Aadujeevitham (The Goat Life) directed by Blessy and starring Prithviraj Sukumaran, went completely unrewarded at the 71st National Film Awards, sparking a firestorm of reactions from fans, filmmakers, and industry insiders.
According to jury member Pradeep Nair, the film, which was widely celebrated for its intense performances, stunning visuals and soulful music, was left out of the National Awards as jury chairperson Ashutosh Gowariker had "serious concerns" about its "adaptation and execution."
"He had seen the movie at a previous film festival in Goa and had serious concerns about the film’s adaptation and execution. Gowariker and others also felt the adaptation lacked naturality and the performances didn’t feel authentic," Nair was quoted as saying by the Indian Express.
Besides, the film was nominated for Best Male Playback Singer and Best Lyrics (for Periyone Rahmane by Rafeeq Ahammed), but was disqualified partly because the producers did not submit an English translation of the lyrics.
Reacting to the turn of events, director Blessy, in an interview with Cinema Express, expressed his disappointment.
“I don’t know what to say. I think it’s better not to talk about it. They will have a lot of justification to make, but let people respond to it, not me. … At the end of the day, it's the general audience who are made to look inferior," he said.
He emphasized that the film met all technical eligibility criteria—censorship was completed before the December 31, 2023, deadline, and it was among six films selected by the regional panel for national consideration.
Prominant writer Benyamin—the author of the original novel—also expressed disappointment in the film not being recognised at the national level.
“When 100 people watch a film, there will be 100 opinions. The Jury Chairman is just one of them. People have embraced the film and expressed their views. That is enough for me… The Jury Chairman, too, has to live in India, does he not? If there was any sincerity, the jury would have acted more truthfully,” he told Cinema Express.
The 71st National Film Awards was announced on August 1, with actor Shah Rukh Khan winning his career's first Best Actor award for "Jawan" alongside Vikrant Massey for "12th Fail," which was named the Best Feature Film.
Malayalam cinema also had some fruitful outings with Vijayaraghavan and Urvashi being named best supporting actors in the male and female categories — a rare double win for Mollywood.
