The makers of 'Sudani From Nigeria' have decided to boycott the National Film Award function to protest against the controversial provisions of the amended citizenship law.
The popular Malayalam movie had won the 2018 National Award for the Best Malayalam Film. Ahead of the award distribution ceremony in New Delhi, the filmmakers have decided to boycott the function.
Director Zakariya Mohammed himself took to Facebook to share the news that the team will be boycotting the function as a protest against the new citizenship law as well as the National Register of Citizens.
The 2018 film starring Soubin Shahir and Samuel Abiola Robinson is a comedy-drama with a sports theme.
Zakariya co-wrote the dialogues along with Muhasin Parari. Shyju Khalid, the film's cinematographer, also produced the film with Sameer Thahir.
Before bagging the National Award, 'Sudani From Nigeria' had also won honours at the 2018 Kerala State Film Awards. It was bestowed the state awards for Best Screenplay, Best Film with Popular Appeal and Aesthetic Value, Best Debut Director, Best Actor (Shahir), and Best Character Actress (Savithri and Sarasa).
Actress Savithri Sreedharan too had received a Special Mention at the National Awards for her performance in the film.
The 66th National Film Awards were declared belatedly in August on account of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections held in summer.
In 2018, the award distribution was marred by a row when it was announced the President would present only a few awards, and the rest would be given away by the then Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani. Upset with this, which was against the established practice, nearly 60 National Film Award recipients skipped the ceremony held at the Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi.
