'Kerala Story' wins award, Prithviraj's 'Aadujeevitham' ignored, how?

Sudipto Sen’s controversial film 'The Kerala Story', which sparked intense debate for its alleged propaganda-driven narrative, won two major awards at the 71st National Film Awards — Best Direction (Sudipto Sen) and Best Cinematography (Prasantanu Mohapatra). Explaining the decision, jury member and filmmaker Pradeep Nair said the film was chosen based on its "relevance" in addressing what the jury considered a "major social issue in India."

Nair, part of the 11-member central panel for the feature film category, revealed that 'The Kerala Story' was selected after a majority vote within the jury, despite strong opposition from his side. "As a Malayali on the panel, I raised serious objections. I questioned how a film that defames a state like Kerala and serves as propaganda could be considered for a national honour. I even conveyed my concerns directly to the jury chairperson," he said. "However, I was the only one who labelled it as propaganda. Others argued that even if it was controversial, it tackled a relevant social issue."

Interestingly, Christo Tomy’s 'Ullozhukku' was also in contention for Best Direction but was rejected in favour of 'The Kerala Story'. According to Nair, some jury members described 'Ullozhukku' as "just a family drama" in comparison to the perceived "social urgency" of 'The Kerala Story'.

Blessy’s highly celebrated film 'Aadujeevitham' (The Goat Life), starring Prithviraj Sukumaran, was submitted for multiple categories. "Jury Chairperson Ashutosh Gowariker had seen the movie at a previous film festival in Goa and had serious concerns about the film’s adaptation and execution. Gowariker and others also felt the adaptation lacked naturality and the performances didn’t feel authentic," Nair said. 

"The movie was also considered for categories including Best Male Playback Singer and Best Lyrics (for Rafeeq Ahammed’s song "Periyone Rahmane")." However, it failed to win in any category. One reason, Nair said, was a technical lapse— the producers failed to submit a proper English translation of the lyrics. Though he attempted a translation himself, the award eventually went to a more competitive entry.

He also disclosed that one performance stood out — "K R Gokul’s character was widely appreciated by the jury for its freshness and impact. Still, he was not awarded as categories also considered the overall quality of the film."

In contrast, 'Ullozhukku' stood out for its overall quality across departments. "Every element of it — from writing to direction and technical execution — was appreciated, which is why it won Best Malayalam Film," said Nair. The film was also considered for Best Debut Director and Best Actress (Parvathy Thiruvothu), and Shehnad Jalal’s cinematography was in the running, though it eventually lost to 'The Kerala Story'.

Composer Sushin Shyam was a contender for Best Background Score for 'Ullozhukku', but the award went to the Hindi film 'Animal'.

Interestingly, two Malayalam films — 'Ullozhukku' and Jude Anthany Joseph’s  '2018: Everyone is a Hero' — were the only competitors in the Best Production Design category, with '2018' winning for its large-scale canvas. '2018' was also submitted for Best Cinematography and Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. However, it was rejected in the latter category due to its emotionally heavy tone and regional specificity. "The jury felt that the film, while powerful, lacked mainstream entertainment elements like songs or lighter moments and was primarily relatable only to audiences familiar with the 2018 Kerala floods," said Nair.

Ranjan Pramod’s 'O Baby' was also a serious contender in multiple categories, including Best Editing (along with Ganesh Raj's 'Pookkalam') and Best Costume Design. It was also considered for Best Action Direction for its raw fight sequences. “The jury appreciated the film’s take on casteism and honour killing, but stronger contenders edged it out,” Nair noted.

For Best Make-Up, 'Pookkalam' and 'Aadujeevitham' were in contention. 'Pookkalam' lost as its make-up was focused on a single character (Vijayaraghavan), while 'Aadujeevitham' failed to impress with its overall styling. The award eventually went to the Hindi language film 'Sam Bahadur' for its internationally styled recreation of historical characters.

Nair noted that Malayalam cinema had no entries in key segments like Best Non-Feature Film Promoting Social or Environmental Values, Best Children’s Film, or Best Film in the AVGC (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming & Comics) category.