The 71st National Film Awards announced on Friday evening stirred intense debate across the country, particularly for naming The Kerala Story as Best Director and Best Cinematography. The film’s controversial nature has split public opinion—while some praised its portrayal of what the jury called a “major social issue,” others questioned if a film widely labelled as propaganda deserved national honours.

In an interview with Onmanorama, jury member and filmmaker Pradeep Nair opened up about the tensions within the panel. “As a Malayali, I strongly objected,” he said. “How can a film that maligns Kerala’s image and spreads a polarising narrative be rewarded like this?” Despite his protests, he found himself alone in dissent. “Others on the jury believed that even if controversial, it addressed a socially relevant topic,” he added.

Meanwhile, Aadujeevitham (The Goat Life), a critically acclaimed Malayalam survival drama directed by Blessy and starring Prithviraj Sukumaran, failed to bag a single award—leaving fans stunned. Nair revealed that jury chairperson Ashutosh Gowariker had major reservations. “He had seen it earlier at a film festival and questioned the adaptation and authenticity. He felt the acting lacked depth.”

Adding to its woes, the film’s submissions for Best Lyrics and Best Male Playback Singer were weakened due to the producers not submitting proper English translations of the lyrics. Even standout performances like KR Gokul’s role couldn’t push it through. “Individual brilliance wasn’t enough,” Nair said. “The overall film had to stand out.”

On the other hand, Ullozhukku emerged as the Best Malayalam Film. Nair said, “It excelled across all departments—writing, direction, performances, and technicals. That kind of consistency stood out.” The film was also in the running for Best Actress (Parvathy Thiruvothu), Best Debut Director, and Best Cinematography—but lost the latter to The Kerala Story.