The Students’ Association of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) has issued a strong condemnation of the decision to confer national awards on the controversial film The Kerala Story, calling the move not just disappointing but “dangerous.” The association criticised the government for what it described as legitimising propaganda that aligns with a “majoritarian, hate-filled agenda.”
Filmmaker Sudipto Sen won Best Director for The Kerala Story, which also received the award for Best Cinematography at the 71st National Film Awards. The 2023 film has faced backlash since its release for depicting alleged forced religious conversions and the recruitment of women in Kerala by the Islamic State terror group—claims widely disputed and criticised as communal fear-mongering.
In a statement released on August 2, the FTII Students’ Association said the film “is not a film; it is a weapon” used to vilify the Muslim community and misrepresent a state known for communal harmony and social progress. The students accused the state of using cinema to further divisive narratives and normalise bigotry.
“Cinema is not neutral—it is a powerful instrument of influence,” the association said. “When a government-endorsed body elevates a film that spreads misinformation and paranoia against minorities, it is not merely recognising art, it is legitimising violence.”
The students warned that such recognitions could fuel future social unrest, including lynchings and exclusion, under the guise of state-sanctioned storytelling. They further condemned what they called the “reduction of cinema to a tool of state-sponsored communalism” and declared, “We refuse to accept that Islamophobia is now award-worthy.”
Calling for accountability and artistic integrity, the statement concluded with a bold assertion: “The state must understand—giving awards to propaganda does not make it true. And we, as students and citizens, will not stop calling it what it is—incitement. Violence.”
