'A film built on lies': Pinarayi Vijayan calls 'Kerala Story' National Award wins part of Sangh Parivar agenda

After 'The Kerala Story' won the National Film Award for Best Direction and Best Cinematography, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the film was built on lies and aimed at defaming the southern state.

In the 71st National Film Awards announced on Friday evening, 'The Kerala Story' director Sudipto Sen won the Best Direction award while Prasanthanu Mohapatra bagged the Best Cinematography trophy for his work in the film.

Slamming the award jury for insulting the noble tradition of Indian cinema, Pinarayi said they have lent legitimacy to a narrative rooted in the divisive ideology of the Sangh Parivar.

The CM said 'The Kerala Story' spreads blatant misinformation with "the clear intent of tarnishing Kerala’s image and sowing seeds of communal hatred."

By conferring award to 'The Kerala Story', the chief minister said the Centre is implementing Sangh Parivar agenda by turning cinema into a weapon that furthers the communal agenda.

"We strongly protest against this move. It is not just Malayalis, but everyone who believes in democracy, must raise their voice in defence of truth and the constitutional values we hold dear," Pinarayi said, urging people to stand up against the politics of turning art into a weapon that propagates communalism.

Opposition leader V.D. Satheesan also slammed the Centre, saying the BJP-led government is aiming a hate campaign through the National Film Awards. He added that the BJP and the Sangh Parivar are implementing the politics of division and are trying to gain political mileage by spreading misinformation about Kerala.

The plot of 'The Kerala Story' revolves around a group of women from Kerala who are coerced into converting to Islam and joining the ISIS. Though the makers of the movie initially claimed that thousands of women from Kerala have been forcefully converted to Islam, they had to eventually add two disclaimers that the number of alleged victims mentioned in the film were inauthentic and that the film was a "fictionalised" depiction of events.