Kerala CM, Oppn criticise National Award for 'The Kerala Story’
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Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan condemned the decision to award national film awards to Sudipto Sen's "The Kerala Story" on Friday, accusing the jury of betraying Indian cinema's historic legacy.
Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly, V D Satheesan, also criticised the decision to award national honours to The Kerala Story, alleging that the BJP government is using the National Film Awards as part of its hate campaign.
Filmmaker Sudipto Sen won the Best Director award for his film "The Kerala Story", which also received the award for Best Cinematography. The film had courted controversy for its portrayal of women in Kerala being forcefully converted and recruited by the terror group Islamic State, PTI reported.
"We register our strong protest against this action. Every Keralite, and indeed every believer in democracy across the country, must raise their voice against this injustice. We must unite against the politics that seek to turn art into a weapon for fostering communalism," Vijayan said in a statement here.
He said that by granting awards to a film built on falsehoods with the aim of defaming Kerala and spreading communalism, the award jury had insulted the proud tradition of Indian cinema, which has long stood for communal harmony and national upliftment.
"In doing so, they are advancing the Sangh Parivar's agenda of turning cinema into a weapon for implementing a communal agenda," the Chief Minister said.
He, however, hailed the achievements of Malayalam cinema when the 71st National Film Awards were announced, calling it a "remarkable success".
"The moment was made even more special with Urvashi and Vijayaraghavan -- whose exceptional talent has enriched Malayalam cinema -- winning the awards for Best Supporting Actress and Best Supporting Actor, respectively. May these honours inspire Malayalam cinema to soar to new heights with even more outstanding films," Vijayan said.
In his statement, Satheesan said the film The Kerala Story was given an award solely with the intention of promoting religious hatred. "This is unacceptable," he said.
He accused the Sangh Parivar -- which, according to him, is leading a campaign against Christians -- and the BJP government of "politicising" even the National Film Awards.
"By spreading falsehoods about Kerala, the BJP and the Sangh Parivar, which practise divisive politics, are trying to gain political advantage. This will not succeed," he said. He also congratulated the
other award winners.
