Propaganda as award-winning art

The conferment of two awards on The Kerala Story at the recent National Film Awards has a political subtext that has invited widespread criticism. The 2023 film, which won two awards – for best director (Sudipto Sen) and best cinematography – furthers a right-wing conspiracy theory that women in Kerala are being converted to Islam en masse and are being shifted to countries such as Syria, where they are forced to fight for ISIS. At the time of its release, the film had triggered a major controversy over gross misinformation, unverified claims that shaped its story, and a propagandist narrative that showed the Muslim community and Kerala in a poor light. Initially, the makers even promoted an inflated number of radicalised women – 32,000 – before redacting the claim in the face of criticism.

It is disappointing that such a film has been chosen for a prestigious national award, instituted to recognise and honour artistic excellence and originality. The juries of the National Film Awards have in the past considered the spirit of secularism and national unity while selecting films for top honours. When a film with a divisive agenda that seeks to target a state with misinformation is honoured, especially with awards constituted by the government, it sends out the wrong signal. The patronage for The Kerala Story does not set a precedent; it is seen as fitting into an existing template where popular art is increasingly finding greater acceptance by taking divisive political positions. That the film received tax exemptions in some of the BJP-ruled states is significant. The film also had Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s endorsement. It needs to be noted that in 2023, the jury’s decision to honour the controversial film The Kashmir Files with the award for Best Feature Film on National Integration had triggered sharp political reactions.

The National Film Awards have been involved in various controversies in the past. They have been criticised for partisan decisions, personal, regional, and linguistic biases, vested interests, and ignorance. With The Kerala Story, the political imprint on these awards may have been further exposed. Critics have noted that the awards would give legitimacy to the untruths put forward in the film. The courts had cleared the release of The Kerala Story as it is protected by the right to freedom of speech and expression, but the film has tested the boundaries of the right. Top billing in the country’s premier film awards can be seen as all-out backing for what the film sought to propagate.