The Kerala Story courted controversy from several quarters over its theme of religious conversion in 2023 upon its release, with many claiming that the Hindi film was propaganda targeting a certain community.
On Friday, The Kerala Story won two Awards at the 71st National Film Awards - best director for Sudipto Sen and best cinematography for Prasantanu Mohapatra.
Produced by Vipul Shah, the film depicted how women from Kerala were forced to convert and were recruited by the terror group Islamic State (IS).
The Feature Film Jury of the National Film Awards, led by filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker, recognised The Kerala Story in the two above mentioned categories.
Asked why a movie like The Kerala Story, which was banned in some states and received tax-free status in others, bagged two honours at the National Film Awards, Ashutosh Gowariker told NDTV, "One is the cinematography award. The cinematography in The Kerala Story was very stark and realistic. It didn't ever try to overpower the narrative, the images were created within the realm of things. So, we applauded that."
As for naming Sudipto Sen in the best direction category, the chairperson of the Feature Film Jury said, "It's a difficult topic and to convey that with the kind of clarity that as a jury we felt the need to applaud it."
The Kerala Story, fronted by Adah Sharma, was banned in West Bengal and multiplexes in Tamil Nadu had stopped its screening citing law and order situation. States such as Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh gave it a tax-free status.