After the National Film Awards were announced recently, the jury has been facing a backlash for selecting ‘The Kerala Story’ in the Best Director and Best Cinematography categories. Earlier, the chief minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan, had expressed his disappointment with the decision, and now, actor Farra Shibla, known for her roles in ‘Kakshi: Amminippilla’ and ‘Kerala Crime Files 2,’ slammed the jury. The actress dropped a lengthy post on her Instagram. Let’s learn about it in more detail.
Farra Shibla slams jury for honouring ‘The Kerala Story’ with National Film Awards
Expressing her thoughts, Farra posted on Instagram, “The National Film Awards are the most prestigious honors in Indian cinema, celebrating outstanding contributions and excellence in filmmaking. However, The Kerala Story falls short of these standards.” She further added the movie doesn’t show any facts, and the narrative is “fabricated.” She wrote, “The film’s narrative is a fabrication with no basis in reality, failing to represent the true essence of Kerala, its language, customs, traditions, or cultural heritage.“She went on to share that honouring a film like ‘The Kerala Story’ is “troubling” for a person who lives in Kerala. Farra stated that the film had a “political agenda.” She concluded by writing, “Awarding undeserving films can tarnish the reputation of these esteemed awards and undermine the trust of the artistic community.”
The backlash and the film
Earlier, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, actor Ranjini, and jury member and filmmaker Pradeep Nair had expressed their discontent with the decision.Meanwhile, the film sparked controversy when the first trailer of the film was released on the internet, which claimed 32000 women from Hindu and Christian communities were converted into Islam and they were forced to join ISIS. Later, the makers had to change the figure from 32000 to three.Backed by Vipul Amrutlal Shah and directed by Sudipto Sen, the film was released in theatres on May 5, 2023. The film earned over Rs 300 crore at the box office.
