FTII Students condemn National Awards given to The Kerala Story

The decision to honour The Kerala Story at the 71st National Film Awards has triggered strong criticism from the student community of FTII. In a sharply worded statement, they wrote, "This decision is not simply disappointing—it is dangerous. The state has once again made its position clear: it will reward propaganda disguised as cinema if it aligns with its majoritarian, hate-filled agenda. The Kerala Story is not a film—it is a weapon. A falsified narrative aimed at vilifying the Muslim community and demonising an entire state that has historically stood for communal harmony, education, and resistance,” reads the statement, which was signed by President Geetanjali Sahu and General Secretary Barsha Dasgupta.

In their statement, the association also shed light on the importance of cinema and highlighted how a ‘government-endorsed body’ is legitimising violence instead of recognising honest art.


“It is scripting future lynchings, social exclusion, and political othering. It is telling a billion people: This hate is acceptable. This is the story we choose to reward,” the statement further reads. “We refuse to accept that our craft—the cinema we believe in and are training to make—should be reduced to a tool of state-sponsored communalism. We refuse to accept that Islamophobia is now award-worthy. And we refuse to be silent as the industry we hope to enter is being reshaped to reward lies, bigotry, and fascist ideology. 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,” the statement concluded.

The Kerala Story follows a group of girls from Kerala who are radicalised and recruited by ISIS. The makers’ claim that it was based on real incidents led to widespread protests in Kerala, a ban on the film in the state, and ongoing legal challenges.

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