Filmmaker and National Film Awards jury chairperson Ashutosh Gowariker is strongly defending the jury’s decision of selecting The Kerala Story to take home two awards—Best Director for Sudipto Sen and Best Cinematography for Prashantanu Mahapatra.
ALSO READ | 71st National Film Awards: 'Kerala Story' wins twice, despite controversy around its release
Gowariker, best known for his directorial Swades and Lagaan, spoke to NDTV, citing reasons for the film’s selection over others. "One is the cinematography award. The cinematography in The Kerala Story was very stark and realistic,” he said. “It didn't ever try to overpower the narrative; the images were created within the realm of things. So, we applauded that."
The Kerala Story explores the narrative of ‘love jihad’. It is believed to be a conspiracy theory promoted by right-wing Hindutva activists where Muslim men allegedly lure in women of other faiths and force conversion upon them through marriage and forced pregnancies. The Hindi-language film follows three women from Kerala, portrayed as victims of ‘love jihad’. "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," Gowariker said.
The selection of The Kerala Story drew wide criticism and even prompted discussion of other films that were more deserving of the award. The frontrunner? Aadujeevitham. This Blessy directorial, starring Prithviraj in the lead role, was widely praised by audiences. The film’s snub came as a shock, particularly to Blessy, who claimed that Gowariker had previously praised the film. “I heard the jury chairperson mention that the film was denied awards due to technical shortcomings. But I remember him appreciating the film deeply during our conversations,” the filmmaker told Onmanorama, adding that Gowariker had compared Aadujeevitham to David Lean’s 1962 film Lawrence of Arabia.
