Sudipto Sen Defends The Kerala Story After Pinarayi Vijayan Slams National Award Win: 'His Soul Will...'
The 71st National Film Awards were announced on Friday, and among the most talked-about winners was The Kerala Story. Directed by Sudipto Sen, the controversial film bagged two major honours — Best Director for Sen himself and Best Cinematography. In a conversation with NDTV, the filmmaker shared his elation, reflected on the film's arduous journey, and responded to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's sharp criticism regarding its recognition.
'It was an arduous journey of like 10–12 years as my team and I worked on this subject," Sen recalled. 'We worked on this film in many adverse situations, and finally, the film was made and released in 2023. When it released, according to the box office numbers, more than 5 crore people saw the film in theatres. The OTT numbers are more than 20 crore."
Sen emphasised that even before the National Award win, the audience's response was validation enough. 'Millions of Indians and people from all over the world have watched the film and their blessing and their love are always with us. We had already been awarded by the people. But the National Award — it is the biggest award of the nation — when it comes, indeed it is a very surreal feeling definitely."
However, The Kerala Story's win didn't sit well with everyone. Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan expressed strong objections, stating on X (formerly Twitter), 'By honouring a film that spreads blatant misinformation with the clear intent of tarnishing Kerala's image and sowing seeds of communal hatred, the jury of the #NationalFilmAwards has lent legitimacy to a narrative rooted in the divisive ideology of the Sangh Parivar. Kerala, a land that has always stood as a beacon of harmony and resistance against communal forces, has been gravely insulted by this decision."
Responding to the backlash, Sudipto Sen said, 'Pinarayi sir is a seasoned politician with years of experience. I am not a politician and I am not entitled to comment on his comments. But the matter of fact is that his senior, VS Achuthanandan, who just passed away, I believe his soul will be very happy that we made a film on his comment that 'Kerala is going the way of the ISIS' and on his comment that 'Kerala will be turned into an Islamic state'."
He elaborated that Achuthanandan's controversial statements were on record and, at the time, had the support of Pinarayi Vijayan. 'Pinarayi, who was his deputy at the time, supported him when VS Achuthanandan was getting criticism from many places. So, I don't know… when politicians speak, nobody should speak in response to that because politics is their way of life, what they do for their own living and survival. I am not a politician, I am a filmmaker."
Sen concluded with a firm defence of his film's content and process: 'I know I worked hard, my team worked hard for 10–12 years. I stand by every word spoken in my film, every visual shown in the film. After two months of scrutiny, the censor board approved every scene of my film. Not a single cut has been inflicted on the film. I think our conviction is being vindicated."
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