The Kerala Story deserved more National Awards, says director Sudipto Sen, is 'sad' Adah Sharma didn't win Best Actress

Adah Sharma played the lead role in Sudipto Sen's The Kerala Story. The film has won two National Awards - for direction and cinematography.

The Kerala Story was one of the big winners at the recently announced 71st National Film Awards. The film won in two categories - Best Director and Best Cinematography. But the film's director, Sudipto Sen, still feels shortchanged. In an exclusive chat with Hindustan Times, the filmmaker says the film deserved more awards.

Adah Sharma played the lead role in Sudipto Sen's The Kerala Story.

Sudipto Sen believes The Kerala Story deserved more awards

When asked about his first reaction to his Best Director win, Sudipto says, "It was a surprise. I expected technical awards. I wanted the work of my technicians to be recognised. When a film becomes so big that even two years after its release, it is being talked about, then it is definitely technically good. That was why I had reason to expect my technicians would get the award. My DOP did, but I would have been happy if my writer, my makeup artist, and my actress Adah Sharma had also won. But that did not happen, and I was a little sad."

However, Sudipto says he is happy about whatever has come his way through the film. "But at the end of the day, hailing from a modest background and after struggling for 20-25 years, getting the country's top award for film direction is a great honour. It was overwhelming," he adds.

On what the award means

The filmmaker says he does not see the award as validation, but merely recognition. "I have been living in Mumbai for almost 25 years, but I never felt at home with Bollywood. I don't belong to the genre of cinema that the Mumbai film industry makes. I remain an outsider here. People hardly know me here. Their validation was never a big aspect in my cinematic journey. My audience's validation was important," he tells us.

The Kerala Story is about a group of girls from Kerala who are radicalised by ISIS militants. The makers' claim of it being based on real incidents sparked off a wave of protests in Kerala, leading to a ban on the film in the state and a legal battle. After the award, Sudipto says, "You can't discredit me by saying it's a propaganda film." That is his biggest takeaway from what he calls is the film's 'continued relevance'.

The Kerala Story released to a good reception from the audiences, minting over ₹300 crore at the box office.