Overview

• On August 7, filmmaker Jeo Baby said the National Film Awards have lost value because selections favour ruling party narratives over artistic merit.
• He criticised The Kerala Story as full of lies and shoddily made, calling its script, direction and acting substandard.
• Jeo Baby also questioned Shah Rukh Khan’s Best Actor win for Jawan, pointing to snubs of Mammootty in Kaathal – The Core and Prithviraj Sukumaran in Aadujeevitham.
• Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had denounced the film’s awards for legitimising communal ideology and tarnishing the state’s secular reputation.
• The Kerala Story’s director, Sudipto Sen, urged Jeo Baby to watch the film before judging its merit.