Ashutosh Gowariker reveals why The Kerala Story won 2 National Awards despite opposition: ‘We felt the need to…’

Feature Film Jury head Ashutosh Gowariker praised The Kerala Story's realistic cinematography and the clarity of its difficult subject matter.

On Friday, the 71st National Film Awards were announced, and The Kerala Story won two honours: Best Director for Sudipto Sen and Best Cinematography for Prasantanu Mohapatra. However, the film’s win has sparked debate online, with many questioning its recognition given the controversy surrounding its theme of religious conversion. Now, in an interview with NDTV, filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker, who headed the Feature Film Jury, has explained why the film was chosen.

Ashutosh Gowariker reacts to The Kerala Story's National Award wins.

Ashutosh Gowariker on The Kerala Story bagging 2 National Awards.

The Feature Film Jury of the National Awards, which recognised The Kerala Story in the two aforementioned categories, was led by director Ashutosh Gowariker. Speaking about the jury's decision, Gowariker said, "One is the cinematography award. The cinematography in The Kerala Story was very stark and realistic. It didn't ever try to overpower the narrative; the images were created within the realm of things. So, we applauded that."

On naming Sudipto Sen as Best Director, he added, "It's a difficult topic and to convey that with the kind of clarity that as a jury we felt the need to applaud it."

About The Kerala Story

Directed by Sudipto Sen and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, The Kerala Story stars Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Sonia Balani, and Siddhi Idnani. The film follows the story of a group of women from Kerala who are radicalised and recruited by the Islamic State. It claims to be inspired by real events.

The film ignited intense political and social debate. Its most controversial claim was that around 32,000 women from Kerala were converted and forced into terrorism by ISIS—an assertion heavily criticised by political parties and civil society groups for being exaggerated and communal in nature. The film was banned in some states, including West Bengal. Despite the backlash, The Kerala Story performed strongly at the box office, earning ₹302 crore worldwide.